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COPYRIGHT DEFOSTT. 
















CONFRONTING 
YOUNG MEN WITH THE 
LIVING CHRIST 





Confronting 
Young Men with the 
Living Christ 

BY v>^ 

JOHN R. MOTT 



ASSOCIATION PRESS 

New York: 347 Madison Aye. 
1923 







Copyrighted, 1923, by 
The International Committee of 
Young Men’s Christian Associations 

Printed in the United States of America 



JUN15 '23 


©C1A704876 




To the Memory 


of 

Sir George Williams of England 
Dwight L. Moody of the United States 
Henry Drummond of Scotland 
Archbishop Nicolai of Japan 

TO ALL OF WHOM I AM INDEBTED FOR MUCH HELP 
TOWARD A LARGER REALIZATION OF 

the Living Christ 







FOREWORD 


During the recent winter and early spring, 
I was privileged to spend four months in a 
continent-wide tour among the Young Men’s 
Christian Associations of the United States 

I 

and Canada. This involved holding retreats 
in thirty-four American states and Canadian 
provinces, attended by laymen and secretaries 
from the Associations of these areas. In addi¬ 
tion to these intimate, representative gather¬ 
ings for corporate thought and intercession, I 
visited a chain of leading cities and universi¬ 
ties giving addresses to audiences of outstand¬ 
ing laymen, of clergymen, of students, and of 
young men and boys. These visits constitute 
a part of a larger plan in which leaders of the 
Association have united to re-emphasize the 
religious objective of the Movement. In 
response to requests from every state and 
province, it has been decided to print those 
addresses for which there has been most fre¬ 
quent demand. They are presented as nearly 

[ 7 ] 


FOREWORD 


as possible as they were delivered, preserving, 
therefore, the form of direct address. 

The great social task of Christianity, to 
which I have made many incidental references, 
has been ever present to my mind; but on the 
occasions of the delivery of these addresses, 
the chief concern was to bring home in an inti¬ 
mate way the vital relationship to the Lord of 
Life—the Source alike of all social achieve¬ 
ment and of the highest individual attainment. 

John R. Mott. 

May 5, 1923. 


[ 8 ] 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGB 

I The Call to Confront Men with the 

Living Christ.11 

II The Present International Situation 
and the Young Men’s Christian Asso¬ 
ciation .39 

III How to Increase the Spiritual Vital¬ 

ity of the Young Men’s Christian 
Association.67 

IV The Conflict of the Christian Worker 91 

V What Has Happened to the Faith of 
Young Men Throughout the World 
in the Past Few Years? .... 127 

VI Why an Increasing Number of Young 
Men Throughout the World Believe 
in Jesus Christ as Lord .... 141 

VII Our Greatest Need—-A Fresh Accession 
of Vital Necessity—An Easter Mes¬ 
sage .173 

VIII How to Augment the Leadership of the 

Christian Forces.183 






































* 



















* 




1 






















I 

THE CALL TO 
CONFRONT MEN WITH 
THE LIVING CHRIST 



I 


The Call to Confront Men with the 

Living Christ 

A few months ago, while on the ocean, I 
tried to define the purpose of the continent¬ 
wide undertaking in which we have united in 
order to place emphasis on the religious side of 
the work of the Young Men’s Christian Asso¬ 
ciation, and these words seemed to express it: 
To increase the spiritual vitality and fruit¬ 
fulness of the Young Men’s Christian As¬ 
sociations of North America through con¬ 
fronting young men and boys with the Living 
Christ. Was it not for this purpose and for 
none other that the Association was called into 
being by the creative and life-giving Christ? 
It was my privilege to have more than a score 
of conversations with George Williams, the 
founder of the Young Men’s Christian Asso¬ 
ciation. I think I could recall all these inter¬ 
views, but the two which stand out most 
distinctly in memory are the first and the last. 

[13] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


The first of these visits took place in the little 
room, dear to so many Association men, where 
the first Association was organized—the room 
in that great commercial establishment by St. 
Paul’s Churchyard, in London, the metropo¬ 
lis of the world. As that never-to-be- 
forgotten hour drew toward a close I ventured 
to ask this question: “Mr. Williams, what was 
in your mind and in the minds of your col¬ 
leagues which led you to form the first Young 
Men’s Christian Association?” Quickly he re¬ 
plied, “We had only one thing in mind and 
that was to bind our little company together 
in order that we might the better lead our 
comrades to Christ, and in order that we might 
share with one another our personal experi¬ 
ence of Christ.” 

If the one through whom God gave the ini¬ 
tial impulse from which has come our world¬ 
wide Brotherhood and fellowship, had but one 
idea and this the most germinating and expan¬ 
sive idea, is it not supremely important that 
we leaders and members of the Association in 
this day of even greater need and opportunity 
re-examine our lives, plans, and practices as 
to whether or not we have wandered from the 
vital pathway? 


[ 14 ] 


THE CALL 


The last of these many conversations took 
place in the city of Paris. We were there at¬ 
tending a meeting of the World’s Committee 
of Young Men’s Christian Associations. By 
that time Sir George, as he was then called, 
had become a very old man and was so frail 
that he had to be supported. At times his 
mind wandered, then it would become clear 
again. In one of his lucid moments he sud¬ 
denly broke out with this question: “Mr. 
Mott, are you ever alone with a man that you 
do not talk with him about Jesus Christ?” 

That question went like an arrow to its 
mark—an arrow of conviction of the sin of 
omission. I had to admit that many a time I 
had been thrown alone with a man, or with 
a group of men, when with entire propriety 
I could have determined the subject of con¬ 
versation, but did not direct it to our Lord 
and His Kingdom. 

Again I ask, if Christ was thus central in 
the life of our founder through whom God 
spoke the creative word, calling into being this 
society which has already brought inestimable 
blessings to countless men, shall we not with 
the greatest conscientiousness seek to make 
sure that He is also the center of our lives? 

[15] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


If I might share with you my dearest wish it 
is that by the time I come to my old age I 
may have so brought all thoughts into obedi¬ 
ence to His marvellous captivity, that when¬ 
ever my mind comes out of unconsciousness 
into consciousness it will revert naturally and 
inevitably to Jesus Christ. 

Along the pathway of the realization of this 
vital objective, the confronting of men and 
boys with the Living Christ, has come the 
largest and most enduring fruit of the 
Young Men’s Christian Association. Ex¬ 
pressed otherwise, it may be stated with confi¬ 
dence that this has been the secret of the 
Association’s most far-reaching, most deeply 
penetrating, and most transforming influence 
in the life of men and of nations. 

Mine, as you know, has been a traveling life. 
It has taken me first and last to possibly fifty 
different countries, to virtually every one 
where the Association is planted, and to most 
of them again and again. There is a certain 
advantage in having the opportunity to pass 
from land to land and to revisit at intervals 
the same fields. It enables one to observe con¬ 
trasts and to trace tendencies. With this as 
a background let me ask one or two questions. 

[ 16 ] 


THE CALL 


Why is it that when I visit one country the 
Association reminds me of nature in spring¬ 
time, with life bursting from the ground; 
whereas in another country, possibly an ad¬ 
joining one, I receive no such impression of 
vitality? It may be that in the latter case 
the Association has larger niunbers, greater 
financial resources, and a more elaborate or¬ 
ganization, but it is not yielding so great a 
spiritual fruitage. What is the explanation? 
In the former case, the leaders, both secretaries 
and laymen, are by design seeking to fix the 
attention of men and boys upon Christ Him¬ 
self and to influence them to follow Him; in 
the latter case the leaders have lost their per¬ 
spective and have become absorbed with means 
rather than with the vital end. 

Why is it that now and then when I visit an 
Association in this country possessing, it may 
be, a splendid building and having an elabo¬ 
rate organization which reminds one of 
countless wheels within wheels and which is 
characterized by much feverish activity, I note 
nevertheless that it is not producing profound 
and permanent spiritual changes in men or 
in the community; and yet when I return to 
that same Association five or seven years 

[H] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


later I receive the unmistakable impres¬ 
sion that the place is fairly pulsating with 
unselfishness, and I discover that in every 
department of the Association’s work—physi¬ 
cal, intellectual, social, economic—the multi¬ 
plying contacts with men are being utilized 
by definite plan of friendly ministry to relate 
an increasing number of men to Christ and to 
enlist them in applying His program to areas 
of social injustice and neglect in the com¬ 
munity ? 

Need I state that in the case of the earlier 
visit I found that the leaders were being mas¬ 
tered by their conditions rather than resolutely 
applying the great, guiding, central, pro¬ 
nouncedly spiritual principles to the Associa¬ 
tion activities; whereas at the time of the later 
visit they were holding this vital objective con¬ 
stantly in its dominating place in all their 
thinking, planning, and action? Do we not, 
therefore, hear the call of God summoning us 
to confront men and boys today with the living 
Christ not only as we reflect on the first chap¬ 
ter of the history of our organization, but also 
as we turn over in our minds the experiences, 
favorable and unfavorable, of the subsequent 
years? 


[ 18 ] 


THE CALL 


Let me now direct your attention to the 
needs of the young men and boys of this gen¬ 
eration, for I am persuaded that as we dwell 
on these we shall hear the same call. Think 
of the young men and boys whom you could 
call by name who are living worldly, selfish, 
and proud lives. Think also of those within 
the range of your acquaintance who are living 
indifferent, inert, unresponsive lives so far as 
Christ is concerned. Think again of those who 
are living narrow, contracted, withered, shriv¬ 
elled lives. Recall to memory the names of 
those whom you well know who are living 
lonely, sorrowing, hungry, thirsty, yearning 
lives—yearning for they know not what. 
Think earnestly of the many, both young and 
old, who are living fiercely-tempted, sin-bound, 
habit-bound lives; and remember that He 
came that men might be free. Think of those 
who are living defeated and discouraged lives; 
this was not the design of the God of hope. 
To use the word of Christ Himself, think of 
those—and how great their number within the 
range of your knowledge—who are living lost 
lives. “The Son of Man is come to seek and to 
save that which was lost”—that is, men who 
have not yet found themselves, still less, have 

[ 19 ] 



CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

been found by others or by Christ. May the 
Spirit of God profoundly impress us with the 
tragic fact of the men and the boys we know 
who are living lifeless lives. Against this fact 
let the central purpose of Christ stand out, “I 
am come that they might have life, and that 
they might have it more abundantly.” As we 
ponder these words, is there one among us who 
really knows Christ and is in sympathy with 
His undying purpose, who does not hear in 
the voice of these needs the call of God Him¬ 
self telling us that whatever else we leave un¬ 
done we should not leave undone the bringing 
of the men and the boys of the oncoming 
generation face to face with the Lord of Life. 

Contemplation of the forces of evil arrayed 
against us in the spiritual warfare must also 
serve to deepen the conviction of every man 
of us that we are called of God to this vital 
and unselfish mission. Think of the magni¬ 
tude of the forces of sin and shame. It is 
enough to stagger us and to cause our hearts 
to quail, did we not remind ourselves that we 
are a great Brotherhood and that Christ, with 
Whom resides all power in heaven and on 
earth, is in our midst. 

Think also of the activity of these evil forces 

[ 20 ] 


THE CALL 


and influences. I remind you that theirs is a 
ceaseless activity. They take no vacations. 
They never have a week-end or a night off. 
Like gravitation they are constantly at work 
tugging men downward. In all my many 
years of mingling with young men of the va¬ 
rious nations I have never found sin or organ¬ 
ized evil lifting one man upward. The pull 
is ever down, down, down to ultimate depths 
of failure, gloom, and despair. 

Think again of the wonderful ingenuity of 
the evils of our day. This is enough to chal¬ 
lenge our admiration. How many times their 
headwork puts us to shame. What marvellous 
adaptation of means to nefarious ends! What 
striking knowledge of modern psychology! 
Let us not only think but be stirred to warfare 
as we think of the cruelty of the forces of the 
devil. It is remorseless cruelty. These evil 
influences mean no good to any man. I spent 
my boyhood in a small village of less than eight 
hundred people. One day strong men bound 
a man with whom I used to play when we were 
both little boys and who was dear to me. Be¬ 
fore my eyes they bound him and bore him 
away to the home of mental deaths—the insane 
asylum. Sin did it, and I will fight sin until 

[ 21 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


I die! I do not understand the man among 
us whose heart is not aflame with righteous 
anger and whose will is not set to fight until 
his last day against every evil influence which 
is cutting into the best life of men and boys. 

The only secret of world-conquering power 
lies in fixing the gaze of men on Christ, Who 
alone imparts the courage, strength, endur¬ 
ance, and vitality to wage successful spiritual 
warfare. I do not fear the forces arrayed 
against us; they should stimulate you and me, 
provided we ourselves are in right relation to 
the Lord Who cast out devils, restored to 
action the palsied, and conquered death. 
“Greater is He that is in you than he that is 
in the world. ” My solicitude is not because 
of the strength of the enemy, but solely 
because of the naturalism of our lives. I mean 
naturalism in the sense of mere human energy 
in contrast with lives surging with the might 
of God as a result of being in right relation 
to our Lord. 

On one of my journeys in a distant land, 
I found myself one day in a city which cer¬ 
tainly reminded me of the phrase, “Satan’s 
Seat,” used in the last book of the Bible to 
characterize a certain other city. Satan was 

[ 22 ] 


THE CALL 


evidently on the throne and dictating terms. 
In the course of my visit and with the help of 
a local missionary I found in that city only 
three Christian young men, or rather boys. 
As I recall they all belonged to one college 
having in it nearly a thousand youths. 
Toward the end of my visit they asked me the 
question, “How many will it take to make 
a Young Men’s Christian Association?” I re¬ 
plied, “Three, provided they are agreed and 
have an unselfish purpose.” They said they 
had thought that probably it would be neces¬ 
sary to have as many as a hundred Christians 
as members, that they would need a building, 
and would require considerable financial re¬ 
sources. I insisted, however, that even three 
without building or money could constitute a 
successful Association. With some other 
words of encouragement I left them. Before 
that year was over they had acted on this sim¬ 
ple suggestion, formed an Association and led 
ten of their fellow students and one professor 
to become real Christians. When I returned 
to that city later their number had grown to 
over forty. As a result of really sacrificial 
giving on the part of many, they had secured 
a home for their Association, and had become 

[ 23 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


a recognized spiritual force in that wicked city. 
The secret of their spiritual power I learned 
on the Sunday I was with them. They woke 
me up that morning before daybreak and took 
me on a long walk to the top of a hill. It 
seemed to me like a mountain for I arrived 
at the top panting. We reached there just as 
the sun was rising. They fell on their faces 
on the pine needles under the trees for their 
customary Sunday morning prayer meeting. 
I could not understand the language of the 
country, but I can tell when men are giving 
themselves to real intercession. Then I under¬ 
stood how it was that they were nerved with 
a power infinitely greater than their own to go 
down into the city to face serious opposition 
and persecution. 

Again I say, “Greater is He that is in you 
than he that is in the world.” So it will be 
with us in every city and town represented 
here, no matter how great the difficulty, no 
matter how deadly the enemy; if we can get 
men and boys, including ourselves, to look 
steadfastly to Jesus Christ, there will be 
communicated to us beyond peradventure 
what I call world-conquering power. 

Is not the greatest need of the Young Men’s 

[ 24 ] 


THE CALL 


Christian Association today in every land this 
central purpose, this fixing of the gaze of all 
our members, and of others whom we would 
influence, on the Source of life and energy? 
Or, to change the language, is not this our 
most strategic need? By most strategic is 
meant a need which if met will make possible 
meeting all our other needs. Let us test this 
by looking now at some of our admitted needs. 

One of our recognized needs is that of more 
workers, both secretaries and laymen. If my 
life is spared I want to join forces with my 
colleagues throughout the Brotherhood in an 
effort to secure for the secretaryship of the 
Association—local, state, and international— 
one thousand of the choicest young men and 
boys our generation has produced. We need 
many more than one thousand for such work, 
but if we can get one thousand of the best 
qualified youths they will serve as a magnet 
to draw the others needed. Even more than 
a few thousands of the ablest men for the secre¬ 
taryships do we need hundreds of thousands 
of laymen to bring to bear in their various 
callings the spirit and teachings of Christ on 
modern life in all its relationships. What is 
the secret of getting these workers, both the 

[ 25 ] 



CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

secretaries and the laymen? Let this question 
be answered with another. What was the 
secret of getting those of us who are here 
today? In the case of some of us, was it 
not this way? One day we discovered Jesus 
Christ as an actual triumphant Saviour. 
Shackles that had bound us broke in pieces 
at our feet. Stains which had caused con¬ 
science to be afraid were washed out and 
peace came to our troubled souls. From sheer 
gratitude we said to ourselves and to Him, 
“We cannot henceforth live unto ourselves but 
must give ourselves to the service of our 
Saviour and, therefore, of our fellows.” With 
greater or less faithfulness we have continued 
in this pathway of unselfish ministry. 

With others present may not the experience 
have been somewhat like this? Though we 
had discovered Christ as a Saviour or great 
Teacher we were not properly instructed or 
followed up. We, therefore, drifted or wan¬ 
dered out over the desert sands. Doubts or 
unanswered questions filled our minds. Then 
later some wise friend or teacher instructed us 
more perfectly and as a result of such guidance 
and of our conscientious study we reached a 
point, as was the case with myself, when we 

[ 26 ] 


THE CALL 


could with intellectual honesty recognize and 
bow down to Jesus Christ as Lord. When I 
found I could do that I rose from my knees 
and wrote to my father who had held for me, 
an only son, a prosperous business, and said to 
him, “Father, dispose of that business for I 
have seen a vision.” That vision has never 
faded. Now my brothers, if it has been in 
some such way—that is, in every case by com¬ 
ing to see Christ as He is, the Saviour and 
Lord of Life, the One, therefore, Who alone 
has the right to call His workers and to domi¬ 
nate their decisions—that we were all enlisted 
in unselfish service, why not short-circuit and 
make our chief method, so far as securing 
workers is concerned, to bring men face to 
face with Christ Himself? 

Another ever-present need is that of money. 
Sometimes I think the Association Movement 
has reached only the blue-print stage. If we 
are seriously to attempt to meet the needs of 
the new generation and are to render the serv¬ 
ice which the Church of Christ desires at our 
hands, we shall probably have to spend hun¬ 
dreds of millions of dollars during the next 
twenty years where we have spent scores of 
millions during the past twenty years. With 

[ 27 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

you I have had experience with various policies 
and methods of raising money. I wish, how¬ 
ever, to place myself by the side of that Christ- 
like Baptist pastor, Dr. A. J. Gordon, of Bos¬ 
ton, who not long before his death said to us 
that, so far as securing money for unselfish 
causes was concerned, if he had his life to live 
over again he would change his approach and 
method. As a matter of fact he did this with 
reference to his church and institutions. He 
said that instead of exhorting men to give, 
pleading with men to give, and begging men 
to give, and instead of devising so much ma¬ 
chinery and so many schemes for getting 
money from people, he would seek rather to 
deepen their acquaintance with Jesus Christ. 
What do not some of us owe to this discern¬ 
ing and faithful word! Do we not need it 
today? Let us seek to have our present and 
prospective donors, notably the new genera¬ 
tion, become actually acquainted with Christ. 
When men come to see Him as He is, the 
Lord of Life and, therefore, the Owner of 
all they possess, the fountains of unselfish¬ 
ness or benevolence within them will begin to 
flow, and, what is much more significant, the 
tides of sacrifice will rise to flood. Who can 

[ 28 ] 


THE CALL 


place a limit on the possibilities of the gifts of 
men, rich or poor, who come under the sway 
of Jesus Christ? Gifts made with an eye 
single to pleasing Him are omnipotent, omni¬ 
present, and eternal. In no other way can we 
interpret the deeper meanings of the Lord’s 
comment on the widow’s mite. 

A still greater need among us today is that 
of vision. How true it is in the field in which 
we are serving at home and abroad that where 
there is no vision the men and the boys perish. 
We need not blame the powers of ignorance, 
darkness, and evil if our leaders have not the 
vision to discern the secret of combating these 
adverse conditions and influences. At our 
request Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., is 
making an impartial study of the work of 
The International Committee. One day one 
of his investigators asked one of my friends 
to indicate the greatest need of the Young 
Men’s Christian Association Movement. My 
friend replied, “The need of prophets.” I 
think you and I, on reflection, would go one 
step further back and say that greater than 
the need of prophets is that of seers. In 
fact a man must first be a true seer before 
he can be a real prophet. What is the secret 

[ 29 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


of becoming a seer or a man of vision? We 
shall hear the answer in a voice from a far¬ 
away time, “They that wait upon the Lord 
shall renew their strength; they shall mount 
up with wings as eagles.” The eagle typifies 
the man of vision. Notice the atmosphere and 
the process which facilitate the development 
of the power of vision. It is in the presence 
of Christ, an atmosphere of unselfishness, in 
which we come to see clearly and afar off; and 
it is in the process of waiting on the Lord, of 
fixing our gaze upon Him, that we come to see 
things as they are, and thus become men of 
true vision. 

Is not one of the most clamant needs 
of our day that of men of courage, of capacity 
for vicariousness, and of undiscourageable en¬ 
thusiasm to bring in the reign of Christ in 
social, industrial, international, and inter¬ 
racial affairs? Because of the recent alarming 
development of the divisive forces of mankind 
among groups and peoples, the next quarter 
of a century is sure to be most difficult and 
momentous. It demands a generation of 
Christians of heroic mold and sacrificial spirit. 
We are summoned not only to deal with the 
wounded but to stop the fight. This means 

[ 30 ] 


THE CALL 


that we must deal with the causes, and that has 
ever meant the way of loneliness, the way of 
the Cross. From the days when that small de¬ 
spised band went forth to transform the 
Roman Empire and the regions beyond down 
to the present day, is it not true that men have 
derived the conviction, the courage, the wis¬ 
dom, the patience, and the power to endure 
suffering by looking unto the One Who en¬ 
dured the Cross and despised the shame and, 
therefore, reigns today? 

Do we not hear God calling upon us to con¬ 
front men and boys with the Living Christ as 
we remind ourselves of the expectations of 
the Churches? Thank God it is true that the 
Churches do regard this as the vital objective 
of the Associations and do expect them to give 
it right of way in their policies and work. One 
cannot be surprised that here and there a pas¬ 
tor has lost heart with reference to the work 
of the Association, because the particular As¬ 
sociation with which he is most familiar may 
have failed to hold in proper prominence this 
main object of its existence. Happily, how¬ 
ever, I can bear testimony in the light of my 
world-wide contacts that, generally speaking, 
the Young Men’s Christian Association at 

[ 31 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 



home and abroad rings true to its evangelistic 
purpose. Should the day come that this is 
not the case, or that the Church no longer ex¬ 
pects the Association to render this most vital 
service, then you and I have more important 
work to do elsewhere than in the Young Men’s 
Christian Association. 

Again we recognize the call of God sum¬ 
moning the Associations to their life-giving 
mission as we reflect on the fact that the con¬ 
ditions in the world today are more favorable 
than ever before for confronting men with the 
living ChrisJ. The past six years have con¬ 
stituted as it were a vast process of exclusion, 
serving, as they have done, to withdraw the 
gaze of confidence of all mankind from one 
after the other of the so-called pillars or sup¬ 
ports of civilization except one, “the same yes¬ 
terday, today, and forever”—the Lord Jesus 
Christ. He never seemed so unique, never 
more necessary, never more sufficient. What 
a tremendous advantage the Associations and 
the Churches to which they are related have 
in possessing the one and only Gospel ade¬ 
quate to satisfy the deepest needs of the human 
heart and of the human race, and, therefore, 
to meet the requirements of the present world 

[ 32 ] 



THE CALL 


situation. Moreover, in all parts of North 
America and, in fact, throughout the wide 
world, the doors are open today as never be¬ 
fore for the friendly, constructive ministry of 
Christianity. More encouraging is the knowl¬ 
edge that beyond these open doors all classes 
and conditions of men, the learned and the 
illiterate, the rich and the poor, the young and 
the old are more accessible to the genuinely 
Christian approach and message than at any 
other time within the memory of man. Still 
more reassuring is the fact that on every hand 
we find both men and boys so responsive to 
the note of reality in religion. How such 
significant facts and circumstances should 
quicken our faith and inspire our efforts to 
press our unparalleled advantage! 

The Young Men’s Christian Associations 
of North America unquestionably stand just 
now at the fork in the road. We have come 
to the hour of momentous choices and deci¬ 
sions. With all of us it is a clear choice be¬ 
tween expansion and contraction. We must 
choose whether or not in our immediate plans 
and actions we shall strive to widen the limits 
of Christ’s Kingdom in the only way this is 
ever done, namely, by bringing young men 

[ 33 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


and boys one by one, through intelligent choice 
on their part, under the sway of Jesus Christ 
as Lord. We cannot evade the decision be¬ 
cause not to decide is tantamount to a deci¬ 
sion against the enlargement of Christ’s 
Kingdom. Ours is a decision also between liv¬ 
ing in the mountains or coming down to abide 
and work in the mists and gloom of the valley. 
What mountains, you ask? The mount of 
vision where we shall see the kingdoms of this 
world becoming the kingdqms of our Lord and 
of Christ. The mount of transfiguration 
where we shall see no man save Jesus only 
and be transformed more and more into His 
likeness and thus be more truly qualified for 
attracting others to Him. The mount of sac¬ 
rifice—the lonely mount where we see a Cross. 
Ours also is the choice between regulating our 
Association policies and plans by our visible, 
material resources on the one hand, or, on the 
other hand, by our limitless, invisible, spiritual 
resources. In a word, these decisions which 
cannot be deferred nor escaped constitute, in 
truth, a choice between atrophy and vitality, 
between scorching desert and gushing foun¬ 
tains. 

Our faith is involved in these momentous 

[ 34 ] 


THE CALL 


decisions. In order to prove our faith to a 
most alert and inquiring generation we simply 
must confront men with the Living Christ. 
Archbishop Whately has said, “If my faith 
be false, I ought to change it; whereas if it be 
true, I am bound to propagate it.” If any of 
us have professed belief in a delusion, we have 
nothing more important to do than to abandon 
it; but if we have laid hold of the truth—and 
I am persuaded that those who hear these 
words would rather lay down their lives than 
deny their Lord—then let us be logical, let 
us be consistent, let us be sincere and give our¬ 
selves unwearyingly to the proclamation of 
our vital message. 

To preserve our faith we must confront men 
and boys with Christ Himself. How true it is 
that if a Christian ceases to be evangelistic, 
sooner or later he will cease to be evangelical. 
His name may remain on the roll of an evan¬ 
gelical church, but his life will belie his pro¬ 
fession. This on the authority of the solemniz¬ 
ing words of Christ, “Why call ye me, Lord, 
Lord, and do not the things which I say?” 
What did He say? “Ye are the light of the 
world,” but not under the bushel. “Ye are 
the salt of the earth,” but the only way salt 

[ 35 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


can save is by coming into contact with that 
which it is to save. “Follow me, and I will 
make you to become fishers of men,” but how 
can one become a fisher of men unless he casts 
in his line or net? 

Not only to prove and to preserve our faith, 
but likewise, from the nature of the case, to 
propagate it we who bear the name of Christ 
must direct toward Him the gaze of others, 
who know Him not. It has been my lot to 
make several visits to Russia, the land of the 
Russian Orthodox Church with its more than 
one hundred million communicants. I have 
also visited the Balkan states, the Turkish 
areas, and the other lands where we find the 
various other autonomous Eastern Churches. 
All these Eastern Churches have a number of 
things in common: for example, it is the cus¬ 
tom for their worshipers to stand during the 
church services no matter how long these may 
continue. I can see now the great St. Isaac’s 
Cathedral in Petrograd with its vast enclos¬ 
ure crowded with thousands of reverent 
worshipers. Another thing common to all 
these Eastern Churches is that on Easter 
Eve, during the hours preceding midnight, 
every communicant member who can do so 

[ 36 ] 


THE CALL 


comes to the Church. Thus the Church may 
be packed to suffocation. Sometimes when 
all cannot be accommodated within the en¬ 
closure, you will find them standing outside 
beyond the doors and even down the 
narrow streets. That night both within and 
outside the Church all those who can, bear 
an unlighted candle. At the midnight hour 
beginning with the candles by the altar, the 
fire is spread from candle to candle reach¬ 
ing out even into the streets, and I am 
told that often the worshipers bear their 
lighted candles back to their homes to kindle 
other unlighted candles which may be waiting 
there. I like to think of our Retreat here to¬ 
day with this figure in mind. Jesus Christ, the 
Light of the World, is unmistakably in our 
midst. The title of one of the great sermons 
of Phillips Brooks is “The Candle of the 
Lord,” based on the text, “The spirit of man 
is the candle of the Lord.” The spirit of each 
one of us is a candle of the Lord. We draw 
near Him. It may be that the spirit of a few 
among us has never been lighted by Him. It 
may be that with some of us the light has been 
allowed to become dim, perchance there re¬ 
maining only a little ember. We draw near 

[ 37 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

Him to be rekindled. With all of us is it not 
our desire to have the flame of our spirit quick¬ 
ened by Him that it may burn more purely, 
more brightly, more intensely? Then we shall 
go forth to bear our torches near and far, to 
enable Him, through us, to kindle other spirits 
in our homes, in our offices, in our factories, in 
our schools and colleges, on land and sea, at 
home and abroad. 


# 


[ 38 ] 


II 

THE PRESENT 

INTERNATIONAL SITUATION 
AND THE YOUNG MEN’S 
CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION 














II 


The Present International Situation 
and the Young Men’s Christian 
Association 

To realize the vastness and urgency of the 
opportunity of the North American Young 
Men’s Christian Association, and, therefore, 
the absolute necessity of augmenting their 
spiritual vitality and power, it is essential that 
we understand the present world situation. A 
man asked me a few days ago what I thought 
of the world outlook at this time in contrast 
with the impressions made upon me in my suc¬ 
cessive world journeys during the past thirty 
or more years. I said to him what I will now 
say to you, that I never was so much alarmed 
regarding the world as I am today. Neverthe¬ 
less, I am not an alarmist, as my friends well 
know; still less am I a pessimist, as I hope 
will be made clear in this hour. I would be a 
deceiver, however, if I gave any other impres¬ 
sion than that I am burdened with solicitude 

[ 41 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


with reference to the present outlook and 
perils. 

Internationally the world as I see it is in a 
state of suspicion, irritation, and want of fun¬ 
damental unity. Show me the nation which 
trusts all the elements within its own borders, 
still less its neighbors near and far. Are not 
the friction points between the nations, and 
between the races, more numerous now than 
they were ten years ago, and are they not also 
more aggravated or inflamed? By want of 
fundamental unity I have in mind not simply 
the obvious, namely, the fact that two groups 
of nations yesterday at each other’s throats are 
still in reality arrayed against each other, but 
the fact that, in each of these groups of nations 
recently at war, there have come such sharp, 
even radical, differences—differences reaching 
down to the very base of world policy. It is 
indeed alarming that the world today is sur¬ 
charged with distrust and inflammation, and 
that there is lacking that basic unity on which 
any stable and genuinely harmonious inter¬ 
national life must rest. 

Economically the world is in an impossible 
position. The debts of the nations have 
mounted from forty-three billion dollars gold, 

[ 42 ] 


THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION 


as they were in 1914, to over four-hundred bil¬ 
lion dollars gold. The man does not live who 
can take in this figure. There is one thing, 
however, that we all see with elemental clear¬ 
ness, and that is that the curfew is going to 
ring late; that the hours of leisure and of pleas¬ 
ure for scores of millions of people now liv¬ 
ing are to be very few indeed; and that the 
backs of innocent generations yet unborn are 
to be bent low with this impossible load. While 
the series of international economic confer¬ 
ences may continue and bring some relief, the 
crushing load will still be felt by unnumbered 
multitudes. 

Physically the world is passing through in¬ 
describable and almost unbelievable suffering. 
During the war I thought I knew what suffer¬ 
ing was, for I did not go with an unfeeling 
heart among many hospitals in the armies and 
into many lonely prisoner-of-war camps on 
both sides of the struggle. Let me remind you, 
however, that during the past year more men, 
women, and children have died from causes 
growing out of the late war in the belt of 
countries reaching from Northern Russia and 
Finland down through Old Russia and the 
Ukraine, down through the Baltic states, Po- 

[ 43 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


land, Czecho-Slovakia, the new Austria, the 
new Hungary, and the Balkan states, down 
into the old Turkish areas, not including Ger¬ 
many, than died in all the armies on both sides 
of the war in any twelve months, even at the 
peak of the great sacrifice. So far as one can 
now see, quite as alarming conditions will con¬ 
tinue in the old Turkish areas and parts of 
Russia and some of the fringing countries dur¬ 
ing the present year. 

In fact the world today is in grave peril. 
There are physical diseases running their 
course that do not stop at international bound¬ 
aries. Not long since there came into New 
York harbor a ship from a Baltic port on which 
were discovered, happily in time, three cases 
of spotted typhus. Dr. Copeland, recently 
Commissioner of Health of New York City 
and now Senator from New York State, on 
returning from his last trip to Eastern Europe 
and the fringes of Western Asia, told us that 
there were then in that part of the world alone 
not less than ten million cases of typhus. It 
is generally accepted that there have been at 
least nine million deaths from this disease in 
those regions within the past four years. We 
do not wonder that the League of Nations, 

[ 44 ] 


THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION 


notwithstanding its earlier unsatisfactory ex¬ 
perience, has recently renewed its efforts to 
establish an effective sanitary cordon around 
the Western gates of Russia; and yet the tides 
of death still break through. 

There are also political distempers which 
cannot be stayed at any frontier. Chief among 
these is Bolshevism. Having been sent to Rus¬ 
sia by President Wilson as a member of the 
Root Mission, it was my lot to be there when 
Bolshevism had its rise. We were there when 
Lenine began his famous meetings. With the 
help of interpreters we heard what was being 
said by these agitators in all parts of Russia, 
and likewise had passed on to us what was 
appearing in the Russian papers from Vladi- 
vostock to Petrograd. We received reports 
also of what was going on in the crumbling 
Russian Army. We became alarmed and tried 
to sound the warning; but little did we expect 
to live to see the day that this fell disease would 
eat into more highly organized nations as well 
as into those of lower social vitality. And yet 
that is what any one with his eyes open now 
sees. Many superficial things are being said 
about Bolshevism. Possibly one-twentieth of 
Bolshevism should command our admiration, 

[ 45 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


because that one-twentieth includes principles 
which entered into the very foundation of our 
own country; but having said this word that 
some may regard as all too generous, let me 
quickly add that nineteen-twentieths of Bol¬ 
shevism should be regarded by us as a malig¬ 
nant disease if we may judge by effects now 
visible. Here one has in mind not simply eco¬ 
nomic effects of which so much is said, but 
those more serious social and moral effects and 
likewise the nefarious policy of the present 
Soviet Government with reference to religion. 

More serious, if possible, than the physical 
and political dangers are the moral perils. 
Some of you doubtless have read reports tell¬ 
ing of the startling increase in juvenile delin¬ 
quency in France. Quite as alarming facts 
could be given about other countries. Eleven 
million fathers and older brothers cannot be 
laid away without affecting the morals of the 
rising generation of boys—a generation, let it 
be added, on whose slender shoulders are set¬ 
tling down greater weights of responsibility 
than have been placed upon any other genera¬ 
tion of boys the world has ever known. You 
are not surprised when I tell you that the 
Young Men’s Christian Association, through 

[ 46 ] 


THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION 

the World’s Committee, has called to meet in 
Austria within a few months a congress of 
boys’ workers from all parts of the world. 
While the delegates will discuss all subjects 
in a world context, it is hoped that one of the 
main results will be the initiation of policies 
and plans which will greatly further the 
rehabilitation of the shattered boy-life of 
Europe. 

Notwithstanding serious and tragic facts 
such as those already mentioned, I do not find 
myself in accord with that French savant, 
widely quoted in this country, who insists that 
all Europe is dying. I would say that Europe 
is very sick. I would be obliged to say the 
same of Asia from which I recently returned 
—Asia from Siberia to India and from Japan 
to Turkey. Shall we not have to say the same 
also about Africa and Latin America? The 
sickness which I see, however, in my travels 
among the nations, is that which we associate 
with new birth. It is true there are great 
agonies—but a child is born! From my recent 
world contacts I come among you to say that 
across the world not only are new nations 
springing into being but old nations, even the 
oldest, are being reborn. It is a wonderful 

[ 47 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


moment in which to live. Wherever I have 
gone in recent days I have been made vividly 
conscious of the thrill of a new life. Every 
backward nation, every oppressed race, every 
depressed stratum of society is today tingling 
with new aspirations, ambitions, and hopes. 

Another very encouraging thing about the 
world today is the fact that so many nations 
are in a plastic condition. The titanic forges 
which have been working overtime during the 
past decade have made the world molten. We 
do well to remember, however, that soon it will 
become as fixed and solid as an iron casting. 
This suggests the central question now before 
all mankind, a question which should be much 
more in the thought of the American people: 
In what molds shall the new world set? Shall 
they be the ancient molds which have broken 
and disappointed us—the molds of material¬ 
ism, militarism, and crass selfishness; or shall 
they rather be the molds of idealism, altruism, 
brotherhood, and constructive international 
cooperation? Beside this issue everything else 
seems relatively minor and subsidiary. 

Plastic did I say? If any one had asked you 
ten years ago to name the last country in 
Europe which you then expected to see change, 

[ 48 ] 


THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION 


I fancy that most of you would have answered, 
as I would have done, Russia. And yet Russia 
is today the most plastic nation on the map. 
Therein lies her danger; therein, thank God, 
lies infinite hope. Or, if some one had asked 
us twenty-five years ago to indicate the country 
in Asia which we then expected would be the 
last to come out into the full stream of the 
modern age, I think most of you would have 
said, what I then said, China, for not long 
before that I had made my first visit to that 
country. China, however, in many respects, 
is the most rapidly changing and the most for¬ 
ward-looking nation in the Orient. When I 
was there on that first visit China seemed like 
a stuffy room with all the windows and doors 
hermetically sealed and every one inside gasp¬ 
ing for breath. A few months ago, on my 
sixth visit, China reminded me of a house wide 
open with all the breezes of Heaven sweeping 
through. We are living in a new world. At 
an incredible pace old things are passing away. 

Another most hopeful aspect of the world 
just now is that the nations are humbled and 
teachable. No longer does the world traveler 
find any country standing, as it were, on the 
corners of the earth thanking God that it is 

[ 49 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

not as other nations are. Instead of that 
proud, haughty, self-sufficient, self-satisfied air, 
we find today all nations chastened, humbled, 
yes, humbled to the dust. Is this not something 
new? Moreover they are teachable. This 
brings to mind that Old Testament word: 
“When thy judgments are in the earth, the 
inhabitants of the world will learn righteous¬ 
ness.” What a teacher! Almighty God. 
What scholars! The entire human race. 
What lessons! Everywhere I go, I find men 
asking these three questions: “How did we 
miss the way?” “What is the way out?” “How 
long, O God, how long?” These are leading 
questions; and they may lead into the greatest 
realities, provided there are a sufficient number 
of wise teachers and guides. 

The fact that the whole world seems to be 
expectant is also a most reassuring aspect of 
the present situation. It ought to cause us sur¬ 
prise that all nations are today looking in ex¬ 
pectancy to America. Some one might ask, 
“Why should this occasion surprise?” Surely 
we must know that from the point of view of 
other countries, the course we have pursued in 
recent years has been most tantalizing. I find 
that our best friends abroad are mystified. 

[ 50 ] 


THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION 


They say quite frankly, “We cannot under¬ 
stand what you are doing or what you are not 
doing, what you are saying or not saying.” 
Their feeling ranges all the way from mysti¬ 
fication through irritation and exasperation to 
real bitterness; and yet, I repeat, they seem to 
be looking to us as to no other nation. 

A little over a year ago I crossed the Pa¬ 
cific, and on board were the members of the 
Japanese delegation who had just been attend¬ 
ing the Washington Conference. At their head 
was Admiral Baron Kato, now Premier of 
Japan. Their number included other distin¬ 
guished leaders and a remarkable staff of ex¬ 
perts. In the course of a serious conversation, 
His Excellency made this striking statement: 
“All peoples are looking to the United States 
for light and faith.” This is indeed an arrest¬ 
ing and solemnizing remark. Notice, he did 
not say that all peoples are looking to America 
for money. One of the delusions under which 
we are living is that the principal thing other 
peoples want from us is our money. Surely 
they want money. Most certainly they need 
money. Moreover, the National American 
Bankers Association were doubtless right in 
the conclusions they reached.and announced at 

[ 51 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


their last meeting that America might wisely 
relate more largely its money power to helping 
meet the needs of the world. When, however, 
we permit ourselves to think that this is the 
main thing which other lands want from us, we 
make a serious mistake. They want primarily 
from us what we under similar circumstances 
would wish from them, that is, confidence, 
sympathy, understanding, and cooperation. 
My chief solicitude is not lest there be another 
and more disastrous world war; not lest there 
be a collapse of modern civilization; but lest 
we, in the hour of the world’s admitted need 
and, therefore, in the hour of opportunity for 
greatest service, miss the day of our visitation. 

Into this overwhelming, bewildering, truly 
alarming, and yet most hopeful world situa¬ 
tion, God has thrust the Young Men’s Chris¬ 
tian Association to render unique, constructive, 
international service. On my way out to Chi¬ 
cago a few months ago, at the invitation of 
Mr. Cyrus McCormick of the International 
Harvester Company, to speak at a breakfast, 
I asked myself this question: “Suppose in the 
present state of the world we in North Amer¬ 
ica had to create an organization which would 
be world-wide in its outreach, which would 

[ 52 ] 


THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION 


represent America at her best and through 
which we might send forth unselfish, vital in¬ 
fluence—how long would it take us to create 
it and bring it to the point of efficiency ? How 
long would it take us to think out the plan for 
such a society, to raise up workers for project¬ 
ing it, to train these workers, to open doors 
for them into all parts of the world, to win 
the confidence of influential elements in the 
different nations, to lay foundations, to ac¬ 
cumulate experience, to develop a program in 
the light of such necessary experience, to do¬ 
mesticate or make indigenous the entire under¬ 
taking in each country and among each race 
so that they would regard it as their own and 
assume responsibility for bringing the program 
to bear on their national life and upon their 
international relations—how long would all 
this take?” As a. matter of fact it has taken 
thirty-three years, that is, from the time of the 
International Convention in Philadelphia in 
1889, which by the way was my first Inter¬ 
national Convention, up to a few months ago. 

Therefore, if we had to begin today to create 
such an agency, surely we should miss this day 
of visitation, this day of limitless opportunity 
for international service. God in His omnis- 

[58] 




CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

cience seems to have prepared this instrument 
among others for helping to serve an open, 
plastic, and responsive world. With reverence 
we should thank Him that in the Young Men’s 
Christian Association, not only of America but 
of the world, we have an agency with nine 
thousand branches, scattered throughout fifty 
nations, with a membership of nearly two mil¬ 
lions, blending all races of mankind, having as 
its ideal humanity as a Brotherhood, believing 
with conviction that each nation and race has 
its own unique contribution to make to our 
common Christianity. 

The Young Men’s Christian Association as 
it fronts its world responsibility has guiding 
principles—principles as fixed as the north 
star—to be brought to bear in all its countless 
international and interracial contacts through¬ 
out the world. The reason why we insist that 
these guiding principles are unerring is that 
we honestly believe they had their origin in 
the mind of Jesus Christ. As we mention 
them, let us ask ourselves where, in the realm 
of non-Christian religions, of irreligion, or of 
anti-religious movements were these principles 
conceived ? 

First among them, let us mention the infinite 

[54] 



THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION 

worth of each nation or race. If any one 
doubts that this originated with Christ, let him 
read the records telling of what Christ said 
and did with reference to what in His time 
were despised peoples, and then see if he can 
find a similar attitude and teaching apart from 
the religion of Christ. Likewise note the 
teaching regarding the Fatherhood of God 
and the Brotherhood of Man. Before Jesus 
came, did the conception prevail that God 
was the father of all nations and of all races, 
and did the idea of Fatherhood, as exempli¬ 
fied in Jesus Christ, obtain? Or, in case of 
the correlate, the Brotherhood of Man, is it 
not true that before Jesus came men were 
asking, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” whereas 
ever since, in the light of His teaching and 
example, they are obliged to say, “I am my 
brother’s brother.” 

The next principle is that inequalities among 
nations or races are intended to signify an 
opportunity not for domination and exploita¬ 
tion but rather for justice and service, espe¬ 
cially by the strong on behalf of the weak. 
This principle if put into practice would trans¬ 
form the world internationally. Or, consider 
the principle that the nations and races are 

[55] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


members one of another and, therefore, abso¬ 
lutely essential to one another. This principle, 
also, if recognized and accepted, would change 
the whole international outlook and feeling. 

The same is true of the Golden Rule, ap¬ 
plicable as between nations as well as between 
individuals. If any one doubts whether this 
principle should be applied between nations, let 
him write out the converse. What will he find 
that he has written? “Ruhr” across the 
world! Think also of another profound prin¬ 
ciple, repentance and forgiveness among na¬ 
tions as among individuals. Who besides 
Jesus Christ has insisted that if your enemy 
sin against you, you are to forgive him? How 
this would soften international asperities and 
flood the world with good-will. There is an¬ 
other principle which is more than a principle 
—a command, and, therefore, obligatory. I 
refer to the commandment of love, the most 
revolutionary and transforming teaching ever 
proclaimed. This includes even vicarious love. 
I sometimes wonder whether we may not have 
to have other vicarious nations. In no other 
way can I explain what is taking place with 
reference to Armenia. Why is she kept 
stretched upon the cross unless it be that only 

[56] 


THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION 


in this way can the conscience of the world be 
made to tremble and thus bring forth deeds 
meet for repentance? The commandment also 
involves aggressive love, for if Christ teaches 
anything He teaches us to love our enemies. 

We could sum up all these and other prin¬ 
ciples of Jesus for international life in His 
most comprehensive teaching, that of the King¬ 
dom of God. Some day the kingdoms of this 
world are to become the kingdoms of our 
Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign for 
ever and ever. Let us bear in mind that the 
kingdoms of the world which are to be His 
include not only the political kingdoms but 
also the kingdom of finance, the kingdom of 
commerce, the kingdom of industry, the king¬ 
dom of labor, the kingdom of the movies, the 
kingdom of the press, the kingdom of learning, 
the kingdom of society. He is to be Lord of 
all or He is not Lord at all. 

In a conversation, Sir Edward Grey, now 
Viscount Grey, remarked to me that the great 
need is the moralization of international 
affairs. In answer to my questions it became 
quite clear that his meaning was the applica¬ 
tion of the principles and spirit of Jesus to 
all international relations. To whom else shall 

[ 57 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


we go? Thou, O Christ, hast the word for 
international life as well as for individual life. 

The Young Men’s Christian Association, 
under the tutelage of the Churches, not only 
has unerring principles to bring to bear at the 
friction points between nations, races, and 
social groups at home and abroad the world 
over, but also possesses through Christ a spirit 
today needed as never before. Certainly we 
should impart the spirit of hope in this hour 
of the widening of the zone of pessimism. 
Who beside the Lord Jesus Christ teaches that 
the light will dispel the darkness, that the good 
will conquer the ill, that love will vanquish 
hate, and that nations as well as individuals 
may be made strongest where now they are 
the weakest? 

Even more if possible should we shed abroad 
as a world-wide organization the spirit of faith. 
Remember that word I quoted from the Japa¬ 
nese Admiral that all peoples are looking 
to the United States not only for light but 
also for faith. What man helped you the 
most when you were discouraged, or when you 
had been defeated, or when everything was 
going against you? Was it not the man who 
in that hour reached out his hand to you and 

[58] 


THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION 

said, “I believe in you and intend to stand by 
you”? That gave you new heart and brought 
you back. It is the same way with nations. 
We do not help any nation back, for example 
Russia, by saying, “We count you out,” or, 
“We look upon you as negligible,” or, “You 
are a pariah among the nations.” I heard an 
American say, “Russia, that traitor nation!” 
I said to myself, “Russia a traitor nation—a 
land which laid under the Minsk and Dvinsk 
marshes and on the wide plains of Galicia, and 
on the tablelands of the Trans-Caucasus and 
of Armenia, 3,600,000 sons, brothers, and 
fathers before America saw her duty and for 
the same reason that led her finally to see it?” 
Surely we should not regard that nation as 
a traitor simply! because some hundreds of 
thousands of Bolsheviki, as blind leaders of the 
blind, are tumbling tens of millions into 
ditches. The time to befriend a great people 
is in their hour of desperate need. What I 
say of Russia is true of every backward nation 
and race. 

Every Association and every Association 
member or friend should seek to promote inter¬ 
national thinking, international feeling, and 
international action. We hear a great deal in 

[59] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


these days about the international mind, but 
none too much. By the international mind we 
mean the ability to take into one’s mind not 
only his own nation but other nations together 
with their background, their strong points as 
well as their weak points, their needs, their 
aspirations, their possibilities. How this habit 
enlarges any man! How much better a citi¬ 
zen of his own country it makes him, and how 
much it helps to improve the international min¬ 
istry of his country! 

Even more do we need today to develop the 
international heart. I can best make clear my 
meaning by reminding you of the prayer of 
Zinzendorf that he might be baptized into a 
sense of all conditions so that he might enter 
into fellowship with all. Our Associations and 
Churches can help enormously to develop a 
generation of those who will be capable of 
entering sympathetically and responsively into 
the struggles, aspirations, and hopes of other 
peoples, notably of those most backward and 
disappointing. The international will, how¬ 
ever, needs development among us quite as 
much as the international heart. I have heard 
many sermons on the text, “Blessed are the 
peace makers.” I think the emphasis was 

[ 60 ] 


THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION 


placed on the wrong word. From the context 
of the Sermon on the Mount is it not evident 
that Christ intended to place the emphasis on 
another word? “Blessed are the peace mak¬ 
ers” that is, those who use their wills, those 
who take initiative, those who not only seek 
to understand other peoples with an inter¬ 
national mind, and feel for other peoples 
with an international heart, but also with an 
international will strive to promote right atti¬ 
tudes and relations with reference to other 
peoples. 

As you talk with some men you receive the 
impression that they think that there will be 
some discovery, or some work of leadership, 
which will in the twinkling of an eye make the 
world a safe place and fill it with good-will. 
The sooner we disabuse our minds of this super¬ 
ficial view and settle down to a long, compre¬ 
hensive, thorough-going educational cam¬ 
paign beginning with the youth, the quicker we 
shall arrive at our goal. 

What the world needs today is not chiefly 
additional external arrangements such as the 
League of Nations, Family of Nations, World 
Court, arbitration treaties or peace congresses, 
or what is tantamount to these important 

[ 61 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


means or agencies. Important as these institu¬ 
tions and means are, far more fundamental 
and necessary is it to get inside of men and 
change their outlook, their disposition, their 
motives, their ambitions, their spirit; for out of 
these are the issues of international life. In a 
word, the need is not so much reconstruc¬ 
tion as regeneration. The process of filling 
the world with good-will is a superhuman 
work. 

In vain shall we look to the non-Christian 
religions or to irreligion to effect these impera¬ 
tively needed international changes. Leading 
teachers of Buddhism with whom I have had 
conversations within a year frankly raise their 
hands in hopelessness with reference to the 
international situation. Hinduism has divided 
society into countless closed compartments and 
outside of them live multitudes of untouch¬ 
ables, the very shadow of whom would defile 
the rest. Mohammedanism condemns all 
womankind to an inferior position. Again we 
say, “Thou, O Christ, alone hast the word for 
international life.” 

The work of the Young Men’s Christian 
Association on behalf of students now assumes 
a new and larger meaning. There is a Ger- 

[ 62 ] 


THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION 


man proverb to the effect that what you would 
put into the life of a nation you must put into 
the schools. Thus our universities and col¬ 
leges constitute our most strategic battle¬ 
ground. Any idea or ideal which we wish to 
see dominate the life of the nation must first 
lay strong hold on the hearts and minds of the 
students who tomorrow are to become the 
leaders of the nations. How true it is that they 
teach the teachers, preach to the preachers, and 
govern the governors. Anything which we 
may find it possible to do to strengthen the 
hands of the State Committees, of the Cana¬ 
dian National Council, and of the Inter¬ 
national Committee in their efforts to give 
Christ the central place in these seats of higher 
learning, we shall do if we are wise. 

The work of the Association in the cities, 
large and small, likewise in the towns and rural 
communities, should also be expanded and 
strengthened on every hand. This is particu¬ 
larly important and urgent so far as the boys 
and the younger men are concerned, for in 
their case we are dealing with the vision¬ 
forming period. It is true that old men have 
visions but in most cases these visions, if they 
dominate them, were received in the days of 

[63] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


their youth. We are also dealing with the 
habit-forming period and the time for deter¬ 
mining life attitudes and tendencies. These 
are the days of great and momentous deci¬ 
sions. It is high strategy, therefore, to con¬ 
centrate our best thought and leadership on 
this most plastic and potential period. It is 
an idle dream to think about bringing in a new 
world through the activities of the fragment 
of time that remains at the disposal of the older 
and retiring generation; but the new or oncom¬ 
ing generation will live long enough to effect, 
provided they are given the right direction in 
the years immediately at hand, the profound 
and permanent changes necessary to ensure 
peace, stability, and good-will among all 
peoples. 

How important it is also that the foreign 
program of the North American Associations 
be pressed with all discernment and with great 
energy. On the principle of the cantilever 
bridge, we should push forth the arm of our 
foreign outreach among the young men of 
Asia, Africa, Latin America, and now increas¬ 
ingly of Europe, while simultaneously the 
other arm is thrust ever deeper and deeper back 
into the convictions and sacrificial life of the 

[64] 


THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION 


home base. The foreign expansion of the As¬ 
sociations of Christendom constitutes the great 
internationalism. In seeking to bring the 
power of Christ to bear on the most influential 
classes of men of all races it is bringing influ¬ 
ence and energy to bear where they can be most 
directly, widely, and advantageously distrib¬ 
uted. We make bold to say that there is no 
work today which is doing more to relieve the 
friction points of the world and to promote 
kindly and cooperative relations among men 
than this world-wide program of the Asso¬ 
ciations and the great missionary movement of 
which it is a part. 

In and through all that the Associations seek 
to accomplish, whether at home or abroad, the 
real transforming influence is that of Christ 
Himself. So let me close this address with 
the dominant note of my continent-wide jour¬ 
ney, and that is that in all our planning, in all 
our speaking, in all our writing, and in all our 
living, we should confront men and boys with 
the Living Christ. It was said of Robert 
Burns that he was afraid to stand before Jesus 
Christ. May not the reason have been that 
he probably said to himself, “If I come before 
this central figure of the ages and of the eter- 

[65] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


nities with an open mind, an honest heart, and 
a responsive will, it probably means that I shall 
have to go His way; and this may mean that I 
shall have to change my life both within and in 
its outer relations”? And he shrank from the 
implications. Let it be said of none of us that 
we are afraid to expose ourselves to Him or 
that, through our neglect, the young men and 
boys of our day are not led to fix their gaze 
upon Him. This is our great business no mat¬ 
ter what our regular calling. If we confront 
others with Him and stand before Him our¬ 
selves, He may be depended upon to make His 
own impression. It will be a profound impres¬ 
sion, it will be a transforming impression, it 
will be an ineffaceable impression; because it 
will be a super-human impression. Why be 
satisfied with simply having men work if we 
may ensure the bringing to bear of the limitless 
influence and power of the great Fountain 
Head of spiritual life and energy? 


[ 66 ] 


HOW TO INCREASE THE 
SPIRITUAL VITALITY OF 
THE YOUNG MEN’S 
CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION 





Ill 


How to Increase the Spiritual Vitality 
of the Young Men’s Christian 
Association 

The Young Men’s Christian Association 
Movement has a wonderful past. The two 
generations of its life have been years of open¬ 
ing and entering doors; years of heroic pio¬ 
neering in fifty nations on every continent; 
years of unwearying seed-sowing, watering, 
cultivating, and reaping; years of unceasing 
proclamation of the Eternal Gospel; years of 
symmetrical development of the young man¬ 
hood and boyhood of the nations by minister¬ 
ing to all sides of their life; years of uncompro¬ 
mising, aggressive, and triumphant warfare 
against the forces which tend to blast charac¬ 
ter and disintegrate faith; years of Christian 
strategy and statesmanship as shown in the 
laying hold for Christ of key positions all over 
the world, and of enlisting for the Christian 
program the most influential classes ot men; 

[ 69 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


years of spiritual engineering—liberating, 
utilizing, and guiding the comparatively latent 
spiritual energies of young men and boys; 
years of empire-building in terms of the world 
and of the Kingdom of God; years of construc¬ 
tive achievement both human and divine; years 
of mighty signs and wonders affording ever- 
multiplying, fresh evidences of the reality and 
conquering power of the Living Christ in and 
through the lives of men. True it is that the 
Association Movement does not need to apolo¬ 
gize for its well-nigh four score years thus 
crowded with glorious life. 

Great as has been the past of this world-wide 
Brotherhood, the future should far transcend 
it. Any lesser conception would be dishonor¬ 
ing to the past on which our minds from time 
to time dwell with grateful and reverent mem¬ 
ory. Our vastly greater and every growing 
numbers; the enormous expansion of material 
resources; the high development of organiza¬ 
tion; the full and ever richer experience ac¬ 
cumulated; the momentum acquired through 
a long-unbroken series of victorious achieve¬ 
ments; the deeper understanding of our field 
and task, and the sure grasp on guiding prin¬ 
ciples; the closer coordination of the work of 

[ 70 ] 


SPIRITUAL VITALITY 

the Association with the other great construc¬ 
tive forces of humanity, especially the Chris¬ 
tian Churches; the truly enormous widening 
of opportunity on every hand at home and 
abroad; the greatly multiplying influential con¬ 
tacts of the Association, and the constantly 
deepening confidence in its providential mis¬ 
sion; the vastly greater issues; the more baf¬ 
fling problems, and the sterner challenges 
which press upon the Associations everywhere; 
the enlarged expectations of the Churches, of 
the nations, and of mankind in general—all 
these facts and factors, all these influences and 
forces make possible a future immeasurably 
greater than the past. 

The war work of the Associations alone 
necessitates as well as makes possible a more 
wondrous coming day. We lost ourselves in 
unselfish, patriotic, and Christian ministry to 
the 4,700,000 American soldiers and sailors 
at home and overseas, and in service, alone 
among American welfare societies, to over 
twenty million men in Allied armies and 
navies and six millions of prisoners-of-war in 
both Allied and enemy countries. Little did 
we think that as an organization we should so 
soon find ourselves with larger horizons, larger 

[71] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


confidence, larger opportunities, and larger 
obligations. It is true, however, that the war 
work has opened to us ten thousand new doors 
for service across the breadth of the world. 

The solemnizing reflection which comes to 
us is whether the plans and practices of the 
leaders and members of the Associations with 
reference to the maintenance and development 
of our spiritual life and energies, are commen¬ 
surate with the widening of our opportunities 
and with the inevitable demands upon our 
service. We do well to remind ourselves that 
during the centuries there have been other 
Christian Brotherhoods which have risen and 
then perished from the earth; that there are 
organizations now existing which were once 
strong, vital, and largely useful, but which are 
now mere shells without vitality and power. 
We could have no more rewarding meditation 
and reflection at this hour than to consider 
the question, “How may the Association 
Movement preserve its vitality, contagious en¬ 
thusiasm, and power of growth, and be saved 
from becoming merely formal and compara¬ 
tively powerless and fruitless.” 

If the Young Men’s Christian Association 
is to increase its spiritual vitality and fruitful¬ 
ly] 


SPIRITUAL VITALITY 

ness, it must maintain at all costs its distinc¬ 
tively Christian, pronouncedly evangelistic, 
and aggressively missionary character. This 
is tantamount to saying that it must preserve 
its clear Christian aim, its unshakable Christian 
foundation, and its genuinely Christian con¬ 
trol ; that it must hold in proper prominence its 
Christian program and be animated by a gen¬ 
uinely Christian spirit. The Association must 
steadfastly resist the danger of becoming a 
mere human institution—in a general sense 
religious but not emphatically, pervasively, and 
contagiously Christian. This essential must 
never be compromised, obscured, or abandoned 
for the sake of any plausible outward success 
or worldly advantage; for such a course would 
mark the beginning of the end. Wherever an 
Association lacks world-conquering power, it 
is because it has to some extent been conquered 
by the world. 

The battle today is not over mere details 
and externals, but relates to the very citadel of 
our faith—the superhuman character of Christ 
and of the revelation which acquaints us with 
Him. Without a divine Christ in an abso¬ 
lutely unique sense, and with only a revelation 
which differs in nothing essential from the lit- 

[ 73 ] 



CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


erature of other religions, the word Christian 
loses its true meaning. A prominent educator 
has recently told us that in the new religion 
for the coming day there will be no deification 
of remarkable human beings. If this means 
anything, it means that the honor now paid by 
us to our Lord is misplaced and, therefore, 
must be withdrawn. With this you and I take 
square issue, for we well know that in the 
power of His Name and in homage and loy¬ 
alty to His Person all of the vital and endur¬ 
ing victories of the Association have been 
achieved. 

If the Association Movement is to preserve 
and augment its spiritual vitality, it is abso¬ 
lutely essential that its leaders and controlling 
members maintain a genuinely personal ex¬ 
perience of Jesus Christ. We need have no 
fear of the strength of the positions of what 
we might call the prevailing naturalism op¬ 
posed to us, but well may we be solicitous with 
reference to the weakness of the lives of so 
many who bear the Christian name. As Wil¬ 
liam James affirms, no movement “can run 
itself and its affairs anonymously.” The char¬ 
acter and spirit of any movement rests ulti¬ 
mately with its leaders. It does not rise or 

[ 74 ] 


SPIRITUAL VITALITY 


maintain itself above the level of the hidden 
life, that is the real life, of its leaders and guid¬ 
ing members. Therefore, the extensive and 
intensive program of the Association depends 
on the inner development of those in charge. 

Well may we ask ourselves, “Are there evi¬ 
dences of vitality in us as leaders? Have we 
the abounding life? Are men and boys being 
saved through us?” These questions are asked 
in no cant sense, but with the thought that we 
are in the world as Christians primarily to re¬ 
late other men to the Living Christ. Are we 
consciously and unconsciously, by example 
and by design, lifting others to higher levels 
of spiritual apprehension and experience? Are 
we moving men mightily to lives of unselfish¬ 
ness? Have we the quality of spiritual life and 
the habits for its maintenance which we would 
like to see reproduced among the youthful 
members throughout the Movement? Spiri¬ 
tual vitality comes only from the Source of 
Vitality Himself. It is the differentia of 
Christianity that our Lord is living to bring 
faith and holiness into the lives of men. It is 
not optional, therefore, but obligatory that we 
who bear His Name preserve vital union with 
our Living Lord. 


[ 75 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


If the Young Men’s Christian Association 
is to continue to go from strength to strength 
as a Christian Movement and as a world-wide 
force for helpfulness, the Associations must 
be dominated and pervaded by the spirit of 
service. No Christian organization has ever 
succeeded in preserving its vitality, still less 
in augmenting it, where it has lived unto itself. 
To serve is the very essence of Christianity. 
In fact, it is impossible to be a complete Chris¬ 
tian alone. It is conceivable that one might 
alone, by himself, be a genuine representative 
and exponent of a non-Christian religion; but 
Christianity is essentially a social religion, and 
to be truly manifested requires application of 
its principles and spirit to human relation¬ 
ships. We learn to be and live like Christ in 
the process of giving ourselves to others. If 
we as leaders of the Association, therefore, 
discover that the volume of voluntary unselfish 
service is diminishing, we may well become 
alarmed; for it means that the existence of the 
Association as a vital force is threatened. 

We need today, and will ever need, to re¬ 
sist the tendency and subtle peril the Associa¬ 
tion might have to become a selfish club—a 
society carried on chiefly in the interests of its 

[ 76 ] 


SPIRITUAL VITALITY 


own members. I hope increasing hundreds of 
thousands of men and boys will throng our 
gymnasiums and athletic fields to acquire and 
preserve the habits which ensure the finest de¬ 
velopment and w r orking efficiency of the body, 
and to learn and exhibit the standards of the 
best sportsmanship in athletics. The Ameri¬ 
can Associations are said to have in their edu¬ 
cational classes more men and boys than are 
to be found in the colleges of the seventy lead¬ 
ing Protestant denominations combined, and 
this number should steadily grow. May the 
day never come that the young men and boys 
of the families most favored socially do not in 
the Association meet on a democratic level and 
establish enduring friendships with young men 
of fewer opportunities. Above all, may men 
and boys in ever increasing numbers come to 
our Associations to enrich faith and to develop 
genuine Christian character. But let it be un¬ 
derstood and exemplified that we enter the 
Association not primarily to acquire these 
great benefits for ourselves, but chiefly to de¬ 
velop our full personality in order that we may 
render larger and richer service to our 
generation. 

The salvation of the Association lies in un- 

[77] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

wearying toil for the good of others. So long 
as it persistently does all that it can to bring 
in the reign of Christ in all human relation¬ 
ships, so long there will spring up in its mem¬ 
bership the water of life, irrepressible, fresh, 
full of power. Therefore, let us as leaders 
continue in season and out of season to sound 
out by word and by contagious example the 
call to service. Let us summon our active 
members, one and all, to that most highly mul¬ 
tiplying work, the introducing of men and boys 
to Jesus Christ. Let us present with wisdom 
and heroism the stern challenge to social serv¬ 
ice. No body of men within or without the 
Church should be more keen to hear and more 
quick to respond to the cry of our age to help 
meet its needs in the dark areas of social in¬ 
justice and neglect. With great clearness and 
power we should also call upon men to extend 
the limits of Christ’s Kingdom throughout the 
non-Christian world—to minister to those be¬ 
yond our sight and immediate reach. God only 
knows what the North American Associations 
owe to their obedience to missionary oppor¬ 
tunities. During these recent decades which 
have witnessed their greatest accession of num¬ 
bers, wealth, and prestige, there opened before 

[ 78 ] 


SPIRITUAL VITALITY 

them simultaneously the opportunity of the 
ages, that is, the chance to place their experi¬ 
ence and life at the disposal of the manhood 
and boyhood of Asia, Latin America, and 
Africa. In the service of these distant lands, 
they have indeed found larger vitality and 
power to deal with the needs at their own doors. 
The deep lesson of this life-saving experience 
must never be lost. Only by continually seek¬ 
ing and improving new and wider opportu¬ 
nities of service, can we ever hope to maintain 
the vitality of the Association Movement. 

If the Associations of North America are 
to bring in the larger day which lies before 
them and which is clearly within their reach, 
they must ever enlarge their plans and give 
themselves to greater and greater achieve¬ 
ments. The rock on which so many societies 
and organizations have been wrecked has 
been that of counting themselves as having 
attained. May God keep out of the leadership 
of our Movement men lacking in vision. If 
we are to enlist and command the following 
of the men of this day, particularly of the on¬ 
coming generation, we must present to them 
stupendous tasks and undertakings vast 
enough to appeal to their imagination; other- 

[ 79 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

wise we do not challenge and win the men of 
largest vision and potentiality. The tasks must 
be difficult and exacting enough to call out 
their latent energies. How comparatively 
latent are the hidden powers of the young 
men and boys now living! The program must 
be absorbing enough to save men from them¬ 
selves. What is the secret of emancipating a 
man from selfishness? No man becomes un¬ 
selfish simply by saying, “Resolved, that I will 
now forget myself.’’ That fixes a man’s mind 
more than ever on himself. The best and the 
only way to become truly unselfish is to forget 
self in the service of others and in the further¬ 
ance of great unselfish causes. The tasks at 
hand are tragic enough, if we come to close 
grapple with the ills, the evils of our day, to 
startle us all from indifference, inertia, love 
of ease, pleasure and softness, from growing 
habits of extravagance and luxury, and to 
save us from dilettantism and from becom¬ 
ing academic, theoretical, and unresponsive 
in the face of stern realities. Above all, 
such undertakings and programs are over¬ 
whelming and baffling enough to drive us to 
God for a deeper acquaintance with Him and 

[ 80 ] 


SPIRITUAL VITALITY 


thus to facilitate and make inevitable our be¬ 
coming conductors of His power. 

Movements and organizations, like men, 
must learn the deep meaning of the Cross and 
travel with Christ that way, if they are to bring 
forth the largest fruitage. Jesus Christ took 
us to the heart of the secret of the greatest and 
most enduring achievement, when He said, 
“Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth 
and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, 
it beareth much fruit.” The law of progress, 
growth, and vigorous life is that we must die 
to self in order truly to live; we must lose 
our lives in order to find them. The way 
of the Cross reaches further than to Calvary. 
It involves a life of self-denial. Spiritual 
movements accomplish their greatest service 
to mankind outside their own boundaries. The 
Association will be no exception in this vital re¬ 
spect. We who guide its policies and activities 
should ever seek to let the Association ideas, 
methods, experiences, forces, and inspira¬ 
tion express themselves through other organ¬ 
izations and agencies, especially the Churches, 
regardless of whether or not the Association 
receives credit or is recognized as their source. 
We must let ourselves go and trust ourselves 

[ 81 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


absolutely to that most expansive principle 
proclaimed and illustrated by our Lord, 
“Whosoever would be first among you, shall be 
servant of all”—of all, not simply of the Asso¬ 
ciation. 

If the Young Men’s Christian Association 
is not only to hold its own but to press on to 
a future far, far transcending all that lies in 
the past, there must be a constant influx of 
fresh life into its ranks and leadership. This 
has most practical and immediate significance 
for us; for we have a new generation to win. 
While we have made most encouraging and 
reassuring beginnings, we have by no means 
won for Christ, for His Church, and for the 
Association as the representative of the 
Churches, the remarkable oncoming genera¬ 
tion. The word, oncoming, is possibly mislead¬ 
ing and inadequate, because the generation I 
have in mind has already arrived. It is in our 
very midst. I mean especially those who to¬ 
day are from eighteen to thirty years of age. 
We do not overlook those who are under 
eighteen, for we all recognize their claims upon 
us and among them the Association is accom¬ 
plishing some of its most fascinating and hope¬ 
ful achievements; nor those who are over 

[ 82 ] 


SPIRITUAL VITALITY 


thirty, for how true it is that many of the men 
who are really youngest in spirit and in mani¬ 
festations of life and energy are far older in 
years than thirty. 

We would, however, fix attention on those 
from eighteen to thirty years of age because 
we believe that within that compass is to be 
found the most remarkable generation of 
young men the world has ever known. As a 
life-long student of history and of the achieve¬ 
ments of men, I know of no generation which 
has been exposed to such intense influences, 
calculated to affect and change profoundly the 
psychology, the outlook, the convictions, and 
the purposes of young men and boys. It in¬ 
cludes those young men who were eighteen to 
twenty-five at the time of the selective draft 
shortly after America entered the war and who 
tonight are twenty-three to thirty years of age. 
From their number went nearly all of the two 
million who served overseas in the American 
Army, also nearly all of the two million who 
were training in the camps at home and who 
desired to go overseas but did not do so be¬ 
cause of the war’s closing, and also the larger 
part of the seven hundred thousand who 
joined the American Navy. One of those who 

[ 83 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


served as a soldier overseas made the arresting 
remark, “I have had it out with death.” He 
spoke not only for himself but for virtually 
all those who joined the army and navy and 
served at home or abroad. What did this ex¬ 
pression mean to them? They had studied 
probabilities, they knew the startling death 
rate among the armed forces of the different 
countries engaged in the struggle. Each one 
of them had said to himself, “I have one life. 
Is this cause worthy of it?” The thinking and 
resolving involved in these two simple sen¬ 
tences carries a young man through the most 
profound changes through which any one can 
pass. It involves the revaluation of every¬ 
thing. In such a process money comes to be 
regarded as of little value. The voice of fame 
seems indistinct and far away. One must dis¬ 
criminate among many and conflicting claims. 
The decision at which most of this vast num¬ 
ber arrived was one of high patriotism, of de¬ 
votion to a great unselfish cause. 

The other element included in the ages 
eighteen to thirty was composed of those who 
when America entered the war were from thir¬ 
teen to seventeen and are now eighteen to 
twenty-two. In those early days they were 

[ 84 ] 


SPIRITUAL VITALITY 

in the most plastic stage. On their sensitive 
brains were imprinted ineffaceably the most 
deeply moving stories and scenes of heroism, 
of unselfishness, of vicariousness, of devotion 
even unto death, in the interest of a great 
cause. These two groups constituting the mil¬ 
lions of young manhood within the field we 
have in view simply must be won and be given 
an adequate outlet for all the impulses and 
purposes liberated within their lives during 
those never-to-be-forgotten, tragic, and fateful 
years at the end of the world struggle. 

It will, however, be no easy task to win this 
generation for Christ, for the Divine Society, 
the Church, founded by Him, and for the 
Young Men’s Christian Association as the 
representative and exponent of the Churches 
united. 

May I attempt to characterize them? They 
are keenly dissatisfied with the past. You will 
agree with me that they have reason to be. 
Moreover, they are dissatisfied with much of 
the present. And here again I am not so sure 
but they are largely right. As a rule, they are 
ultra-critical. What do they not criticize ? 
They are examining all foundations, question¬ 
ing all sources of authority, criticizing all 

[ 85 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


standards and social sanctions. Is this, how¬ 
ever, not more encouraging and hopeful than 
indifference or apathy? They are a most alert 
and enquiring generation. They hate sham 
and hypocrisy. They are responsive to the 
note of reality. They tend to go to extremes. 
But are we not living in a day when it is highly 
important that we have men who will break 
out of the old, rigid grooves of inertia and 
chart new courses for mankind? Did not 
Jesus Christ go to the greatest extreme in 
order to bring the world to God? 

Again I say we of the Young Men’s Chris- 
tion Association must win this generation. We 
must do so because it is the very genius of a 
Yowng Men’s Association to do so. Anything 
else would make our name and emblem a mis¬ 
nomer. The most distinctive thing about the 
Young Men’s Christian Association is the 
prominence of the element of youth in all its 
life. In fact its life depends upon the fresh 
tides of boyhood and young manhood surg¬ 
ing into its veins; otherwise the end draws 
near. Moreover, this new generation has 
certain other traits most attractive and com¬ 
pelling. What are some of these traits? 
Hopefulness, so much needed in the face of 

[ 86 ] 


SPIRITUAL VITALITY 


such widespread pessimism; idealism, when so 
many have come down from the mountains of 
high aspiration; vision, when so many are 
looking down at the muckrake and are think¬ 
ing only of material things; the spirit of 
adventure, for a day of warfare in all ranges 
and relationships of the life of mankind. An¬ 
other trait is that attitude and habit of mind 
from which have come many of the inventions 
and great creative works of men. Surely we 
cannot have these traits too largely manifested 
in our Brotherhood. 

Not long since I read an essay under the 
striking caption, “The Lost Radiance of the 
Christian Religion.” The author, Dr. Jacks, 
the editor of the Hibbert Journal, tries to 
bring out that, whereas Christianity began as 
a religion of the youth, it is now waning, be¬ 
cause losing its appeal to the youth. I quite 
agree with the first part of the essay, which 
insists that Christianity began as a religion of 
the youth, because its Founder laid down His 
life as a young man, many of His apostles were 
chosen as young men, and His religion made 
a wonderful appeal to the youth of the Roman 
Empire. I cannot, however, accept the other 
statement to the effect that Christianity in 

[ 87 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

these days is not making so strong an appeal 
to the youth. As I read what he wrote in this 
connection, I said to myself, “Dr. Jacks ap¬ 
parently does not know of the Student Young 
Men’s Christian Association of the American 
Universities and colleges which now has in its 
membership one hundred thousand young men, 
most of whom are under twenty. He has not 
heard of the Hi Y Clubs and of the Employed 
Boys’ Brotherhood. He has not traveled with 
me recently in Oriental lands where the very 
flower of the boyhood and young manhood of 
the nations is today found in the Young Men’s 
Christian Association.” 

Nevertheless we cannot have in our Asso¬ 
ciations too much of the radiance of the Chris¬ 
tian religion, the spirit of youth. These young 
men need Christ, the Church, and the Associa¬ 
tion, and have a right to these inestimable 
benefits. What hope is there for the Christian 
Church and its institutions unless this most po¬ 
tential generation becomes identified vitally 
with them? And what of the maimed, broken, 
and imperiled world? The men now over 
thirty will not be able to effect the extensive, 
profound, and permanent changes impera¬ 
tively needed, for the simple reason that most 

[ 88 ] 


SPIRITUAL VITALITY 


of them will not live long enough. It is the 
new generation which must carry through the 
stupendous undertaking of ushering in the new 
day and the new order. 

What is the secret of winning this new gen¬ 
eration? I can express it quite simply and 
briefly. The forces of Christianity must come 
to this supremely important task with united 
plans and concerted efforts. The undertaking 
is so vast, so difficult, and so urgent that noth¬ 
ing short of this will avail. Happily the Asso¬ 
ciation, with its interdenominational platform, 
personnel, and program, makes possible the 
meeting of this condition. Next, the program 
of all our Associations singly, as well as in 
their corporate, national capacity, must be re¬ 
vised in the light of experience and of the best 
that religious education and psychology have 
to offer, that the Association methods and mes¬ 
sage may be adapted to enlist the following of 
this particular generation. 

To this end a third factor takes on larger 
significance than ever, and that is that we must 
organize and set like to work for like; that is, 
unite those within our number who are now 
approximately within the ages of eighteen to 
thirty for the express purpose of winning for 

[ 89 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

the Association and its program, and above 
all for its Lord, the men and boys of their 
own age. In recognition of this principle, 
the Association has ever been most success¬ 
ful in winning men to its membership and 
to its unselfish undertakings. Men of corre¬ 
sponding ages are on the level; they under¬ 
stand each other and each other’s language; 
they have fought on the same battle fields 
within the range of the body or of the imagina¬ 
tion; they have common temptations, ambi¬ 
tions, and aspirations; they have the same un¬ 
answered questions in the realm of morals and 
religion; they share the same visions and are 
responsive to the same appeals; and, there¬ 
fore, they will ever have largest access to one 
another and largest influence with one another. 
Finally, and of supreme importance, we must 
confront these men with the Living Christ. 
Did not Christ Himself say, “I, if I be lifted 
up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” 
This includes men within the ages eighteen to 
thirty, as well as those under eighteen and 
those over thirty. He is the supreme and 
irresistible magnet. King of Kings, and Lord 
of Lords. Let us bow down in reverence and 
go forth to bring others under His sway. 

[ 90 ] 


IV 

THE CONFLICT OF THE 
CHRISTIAN WORKER 


IV 


The Conflict of the Christian Worker 

If we are to confront men and boys with the 
Living Christ, we ourselves must stand before 
Him. We must realize in our personal experi¬ 
ence what the Psalmist was able to say, “I have 
set the Lord always before me.” If the Young 
Men’s Christian Association is to be a pro¬ 
nouncedly Christian and spiritual organiza¬ 
tion, we, its leaders, must be genuinely spiri¬ 
tual men. The stream does not rise higher 
than its source. The Association will be no 
exception to this law. It is supremely im¬ 
portant, therefore, that we examine our man¬ 
ner of life to make sure that our attitude and 
practices are calculated to develop and main¬ 
tain in us Christ-like lives. 

I have been asked if I would not with frank¬ 
ness and freedom point out the spiritual perils 
in the lives of leaders of the Association, both 
secretaries and laymen, and likewise indicate 
practical constructive measures for counter- 

[ 93 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


acting and overcoming these dangers. This I 
will seek to do, with keen consciousness of my 
own limitations. I will present no straw men 
and deal with no theoretical points but con¬ 
fine myself solely to those spiritual perils 
which have been experienced in my own per¬ 
sonal life or which have been revealed by men 
in our Movement who have bared their hearts 
to me. If we are to wage successful warfare 
against our enemies, we must locate them and 
must thoroughly understand their devices. 
There is nothing whatever to be gained by 
minimizing the resources of our spiritual ene¬ 
mies, their number, their strength, and their 
malignity. 

At the very beginning, among our spiritual 
perils, should be mentioned aimlessness. How 
many Christian workers there are who have 
no definite aim or plan for their own spiritual 
culture, for the increase of their spiritual 
knowledge and discernment, for their spiritual 
enrichment, for the augmenting of their spiri¬ 
tual power and fruitfulness! If a man does 
not have certain accepted and observed laws 
for the care of his body, he will soon find him¬ 
self on the rocks physically. If a worker has 
no definite goal or program for his mental 

[ 94 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 

widening, deepening, and strengthening, he 
will inevitably go to seed intellectually and be¬ 
come negligible as an intellectual force. If 
one has no plan for his personal or domestic 
finances, he and others related to him are 
bound sooner or later to find themselves in 
economic embarrassment or confusion. The 
same is emphatically true with reference to 
the ethical and spiritual nature of man. This 
most important part of our lives is not de¬ 
veloped and enriched through magic. A 
genuine spiritual life is not the product of 
mere chance. This great result must be pre¬ 
ceded by an adequate cause. We do not drift 
into Christ-likeness. Either by design and 
definite plan we work our way against the 
tides to deeper and deeper realization of Christ 
and His truth and into transforming experi¬ 
ence of Him, or we unconsciously drift away 
from His presence and are cut off from His 
vitalizing power. 

Superficiality is likewise one of the great 
enemies to the spiritual life of Christian 
workers. How few of them impress one as 
sinking shafts down into the deep things of 
God. My fear is lest we as workers and, there¬ 
fore, as Associations may be producing Chris- 

[ 95 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


tian activity and organization faster than we 
are producing Christian faith and Christian 
experience. If so, do we not all recognize that 
that means sooner or later spiritual bank¬ 
ruptcy? The haunting question is, “Are the 
discipline of our lives, the culture of our souls, 
and the thoroughness of our processes such as 
will enable the Young Men’s Christian Associ¬ 
ation to bear the terrific strain to which it is 
subjected in this modern age, and to meet the 
limitless opportunity which confronts it on 
every hand?” Within the reach of every one 
of us are inexhaustible depths of spiritual wis¬ 
dom and knowledge. For each one of us there 
are unworked leads of untold spiritual wealth. 
A priceless inheritance has been laid up for us. 
Why lead such shallow and impoverished 
lives? Why not possess our possessions? 

Cant or hypocrisy today, as ever, constitutes 
a grave spiritual danger. Christ directed 
against it His most scathing denunciations. 
Perhaps leaders of the Association should be 
especially on their guard at this point and for 
this reason, The genius of the leader of the 
Association, whether he be a local or a travel¬ 
ing worker, is that of setting other men to 
work. This means that most of our time is, 

[ 96 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 

or should be, spent in planning work for other 
men; in organizing, guiding, and coaching 
them; in teaching and preaching; in inspiring 
others to action and to the performance of high 
and important duties. The danger is that, un¬ 
less we are most vigilant with reference to the 
cultivation of our own spiritual lives, there will 
be created a great chasm between what we 
enjoin upon others and what we ourselves 
actually are and do. How shall we pre¬ 
vent such disparity between preaching and 
practice, between profession and possession? 
The secret of most helpful contagious example 
and of most highly multiplying leadership lies 
in preserving at all costs a life of transparent 
sincerity or reality. 

Closely akin to the peril just mentioned is 
that of formality. It is possible for the busy 
or thoughtless worker to become so accustomed 
to the sacred terms or expressions, and to the 
spiritual associations and processes, that no 
longer as he contemplates these realities is he 
moved, as he once was, with a sense of awe, 
wonder, and reverence. If that is the case with 
any of us we should become alarmed, for it is 
a sure indication of a drifting away from 
Christ. Again, it is possible for a Christian 

[ 97 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


to become so familiar with the work of evil 
that no longer as he witnesses the terrible in¬ 
roads and havoc of the forces of sin and shame 
is he profoundly moved, as he once was, with 
emotions of revulsion and anger, or stimulated 
to aggressive warfare against such enemies of 
manhood and boyhood. Such a callous state 
should cause one serious concern. Can you 
imagine Jesus Christ ever regarding with com¬ 
posure or indifference any of the cruel and sad 
effects of sin? Remember the Puritan para¬ 
dox, “With increasing holiness grows the sense 
of sin/’ If sin does not seem more sinful to 
us now than it did six months ago, we should 
indeed be startled. Jesus Christ multiplies 
sins. What I mean is that under the influence 
of His perfect example, under the blaze of His 
searching teachings, and under the application 
of His unerring principles, things which be¬ 
fore we did not regard as sinful come to stand 
out as heinous sins. 

Possibly the most deadly peril to the life of 
the Christian is that of spiritual pride. The 
reason for this is that the man who is under the 
spell of this danger does not know it, will not 
believe it, and in fact resents any such sug¬ 
gestion. The Christian worker about whom I 

[ 98 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 


am most solicitous is the one who, as he hears 
what I say in this connection, comments, 
“What the speaker is now saying does not con¬ 
cern me at all.” “Let him that thinketh he 
standeth take heed lest he fall,” not the man 
who is conscious that he is slipping, not the 
man who knows that he is on the edge of the 
precipice, but the man who is quite certain that 
he is standing securely; let that man in par¬ 
ticular take heed lest he fall. Most of the 
great downfalls of which I have heard were 
cases of men who prided themselves on their 
security. 

The sins of the tongue must not be over¬ 
looked among the serious perils. Think of the 
prevalence of exaggeration or deceit or, put¬ 
ting it quite bluntly, lying, in the speech even 
of men active in Christian service. For ex¬ 
ample, reports written or oral which do not 
square with the facts; over-statements in 
speech or writing; presentation of half-truths 
or lack of frank acknowledgment of ignorance 
in the teaching of Bible classes or the guiding 
of open forums. Then there is flattery. In 
this work of the Association we as leaders have 
to enlist the cooperation of many men—some 
of them to give money, others to give time, 

[ 99 ] 

■> 

9 > 

> > 

I 

) 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


others to lend the weight of their influence. 
The danger is that in order to win the help of 
these men we may say things to their faces 
that do not square with what we say behind 
their backs, or with what we honestly think 
about them. 

Unkind criticisms and uncharitable judg¬ 
ments regarding others constitute another 
prevalent sin of the tongue. One of my friends 
says that he considers such belittling and un¬ 
dermining remarks about others the besetting 
sin of Christian workers. It certainly does no 
good whatever to the person who thus speaks; 
on the contrary it develops in him uncharitable¬ 
ness, unfairness, and un-Christlikeness. It 
often works lasting injury to the person about 
whom he speaks because that person is not 
present to answer back or correct any unfair or 
wrong statement. It is the most unsportsman¬ 
like sin that a man can commit—the stabbing 
of a man in the back, or in the dark. Such a 
practice is not tolerated in business. It ruins a 
man in politics. How such sins must grieve 
the heart of our Saviour on whose bps neither 
guile nor any other sin was ever found. Can 
we wonder at the language of St. James, “The 
tongue can no man tame.” No man can tame 

[ 100 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 


it, but the Living Christ can. Nor do we won¬ 
der that the same writer points out the strategy 
of the conquest of this unruly member when he 
indicates that if it be brought into subjection, 
a man can then control his whole personality. 

Commenting on the sins of the tongue re¬ 
minds one that there come times every day 
when the Christian should speak and when not 
to speak means that we are out of touch with 
Christ. Frequently we ought to speak the 
word of warning to the man or boy whom we 
see drawing near the edge of the precipice. 
We ought to sound the word of protest when 
sin rears its head, and like our Lord never let 
its devilish plans and activities go unrebuked. 
We ought to speak the word of guidance to 
those who are in danger of not recognizing 
opportunities for service or of not discovering 
the great golden leads of spiritual enrichment. 
We ought very often to speak words of en¬ 
couragement and appreciation to those who 
are bearing heavy burdens and to those who 
are seeking to perform difficult and important 
tasks. Thus to use the tongue is to follow the 
example of our Lord. 

Secret sin jeopardizes and destroys the 
power and fruitfulness of any Christian 

[ 101 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


worker. One day I had to be party to calling 
for the resignation of a prominent worker, one 
who had been signally used in evangelistic 
work, because he had fallen into a life of im¬ 
purity. What a tragedy—having preached the 
Gospel to others, himself a castaway! If we 
are to wage a triumphant warfare, we must 
have no untaken forts in the rear. The fact 
that our defeats and slavery may be concealed 
or unknown to others adds only to the tragedy 
and pathos of the situation. Thank God the 
distinctive mission of Christ is to liberate 
captives! 

Let me now call attention to spiritual star¬ 
vation as the cause of most of the evils which 
hinder the life of many a Christian worker. 
The most pathetic sight which meets my gaze 
every day in every place I visit is that of Chris¬ 
tian men distributing the bread of life with 
emaciated hands. They are busy trying to 
feed others, but they themselves are really 
starving. What lack of foresight, because in 
the long run they do not succeed in helping 
others as much as they would were they them¬ 
selves properly nourished. Even Plato says, 
“The granary must be filled if the hungry are 
to be fed,” and Christ said, “For their sakes I 

[ 102 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 

sanctify myself.” Dwell a moment on the ex¬ 
ample of our Lord in this vital respect. Think 
of Him as rising in the morning while it was 
yet dark and going out into the desert place 
to commune with the Heavenly Father—“for 
their sakes.” Think of Him going out of the 
noisy, busy, needy city night after night to the 
Mount of Olives “as His custom was” for the 
purpose of spiritual realization and renewal 
“for their sakes.” What presumption for us 
to think that with starving and devitalized lives 
we can render our best service to the hungry 
lives all about us. 

Not to preserve a sufficiently large and open 
channel between our own lives and the Foun¬ 
tain Head of Spiritual Vitality—the Lord 
Jesus Christ—stands in the way of the largest 
unselfish influence and leadership of many and 
many a worker. One of the words of Christ 
which means most to me is this: “From within 
him shall flow rivers of living water”; or 
better rendered, “Out of your inmost selves 
shall gush torrents of living water.” Some of 
you, like myself, have visited desert countries. 
I recall now one exhausting march. Our party 
rose and had breakfast before sunrise and 
started on its way over the sands and rocky 

[ 103 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


hills. As the sun mounted in the heavens the 
heat became almost unendurable. By noon we 
could hardly continue on our way. Suddenly 
we came upon an oasis, in the midst of which 
there was a bubbling spring with gushing 
streams of cool water clear as crystal. It 
refreshes me as I think of it. “Out of your 
inmost selves shall gush torrents of living 
water,” into the thirsty lives all about us 
and out into the desert places which were 
intended to blossom as the rose. I remind 
you, however, that if the torrents of liv¬ 
ing water are to gush forth from us, we our¬ 
selves must drink deeply at the fountain. As 
Mr. Moody used to say to us at Northfield, 
“We are all leaky vessels; we need frequently 
to be refilled.” May we constantly hear and 
heed the gracious invitation of our Lord, “If 
any man thirst, let him come unto me and 
drink.” Then, for you will recall the context 
that the words almost immediately follow, “out 
of your inmost selves shall gush torrents of 
living water.” 

Not to prolong the list of spiritual dangers, 
let me mention the most comprehensive of all, 
the one that includes all those already men¬ 
tioned as well as those which have not been 

[ 104 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 

named—not putting spiritual things first. I 
am constantly meeting men who give their 
bodies three meals each day and yet who argue 
that they do not have time to give their spiri¬ 
tual nature one unhurried, assimilative meal 
daily. They condemn themselves with their 
own words. I say to them, “Suppose you omit 
each day one meal and devote the time thus 
saved to commmiion with God and meditation 
upon and appropriation of His truth.” Those 
who have done so tell me that it resulted in 
making them so much more conscientious in 
the use of their time and in the planning of 
their day that they still found time to have 
three physical meals each day. Moreover, 
workers have said to me that they could not 
find time to keep the Morning Watch, that 
is, to begin each day recollectedly with God in 
prayer and Bible study; and yet in the next 
sentence in answer to my question they have 
said, “Yes, we read the morning paper.” 
Show me the man who begins the day with the 
Morning Watch who does not likewise find 
time later to read the morning paper. I wish 
I could add that the converse is always true, 
namely, that the man who begins the day with 
his morning paper always thereafter finds or 

[ 105 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


takes time to keep the Morning Watch. Let 
us avoid tricking ourselves. God is not 
mocked. Let us not stand in our own light. 
Let us not dig our own graves spiritually. 

Let us now turn to the positive side of the 
subject where I always prefer to dwell. Be¬ 
fore proceeding, however, to the constructive 
suggestions on how to counteract and overcome 
these dangers, let me congratulate you who 
are beset behind and before with such enemies 
arrayed against us in the heavenly warfare. 
Some one may ask, “Why congratulate us?” 
I answer, “For the reason that St. James said, 
‘Count it all joy when ye fall into manifold 
temptations.’ Likewise, for the reason that 
St. Peter doubtless had in mind when he said, 
‘Greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, 
if need be, ye have been put to grief in mani¬ 
fold trials.’ For the reason also that led St. 
Paul to say, ‘A great door is opened unto me, 
and there are many adversaries.’ Yes, and 
for the same reason which all of us have discov¬ 
ered in the pathway of genuine spiritual war¬ 
fare, that our spiritual enemies and our spiri¬ 
tual perils call out our latent powers and 
constitute the drill ground for strong charac¬ 
ter and triumphant faith, deepen our acquaint- 

[ 106 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 

ance with Christ and afford, within the range 
of our personal experience evidences of His 
conquering might.” 

First among the constructive suggestions let 
me urge that each one of us have generous and 
far-sighted plans for the maintenance and de¬ 
velopment of our spiritual life. I am con¬ 
stantly meeting men whose plans for their 
spiritual culture, if they have any plans at all, 
cannot in any sense be characterized as gen¬ 
erous; certainly not in scope and content nor 
in the time and quality of attention devoted to 
their execution. Rather might they be char¬ 
acterized as niggardly, miserly, mean, and un¬ 
worthy. How unworthy they are of our great 
Lord, of our inexhaustibly rich resources, of 
the indescribable needs of men to whom we are 
to minister, of the sublime program of the 
Christian religion, of the great days in which 
we are living, and of the stupendous issues 
which are challenging us! 

These plans should also be far-sighted. 
Here again as many men discuss their plans 
for furthering spiritual growth and fruitful¬ 
ness, one receives the impression not of far¬ 
sightedness but of living from hand to mouth. 
A man snatches a little enrichment today from 

[ 107 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


some source, several days elapse and he avails 
himself of an opportunity for spiritual help 
from some unexpected quarter. Other days 
drift by and under the influence of some 
stranger, it may be, he receives a fresh impulse 
Godward. All of this is good, but does not 
take the place of forward-looking, orderly, 
comprehensive planning for the symmetrical, 
consistent development of one’s spiritual sensi¬ 
bilities and powers. One serious aspect of such 
inadequate plans is that we are not prepared 
for emergencies and crises, and life is made 
up largely of what we commonly think of as 
emergencies and crises. To be prepared for 
sudden deeds and for meeting grave situations 
and large opportunities which are sure to be 
thrust upon us, we must take long views and 
patiently accumulate reserves. Many a man 
is more prudent and shows more forethought 
in the care of his automobile and makes better 
provision for its requirements than for the de¬ 
mands which are sure to be made on his own 
spiritual energies and leadership. 

The point just emphasized leads me to 
recommend that each Christian worker ob¬ 
serve an occasional quiet day. By this is meant 
the going apart, from time to time, for a whole 

[ 108 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 

day or half-day, for the express purpose of 
finding out where we actually are spiritually 
and discerning whither we are tending, also to 
review and revise plans and practices for fur¬ 
thering our spiritual growth and usefulness. I 
belong to two groups of workers each one of 
which goes apart for a day once each year to 
have fellowship in thought and prayer concern¬ 
ing our spiritual state and obligations. What 
do I not owe to the days spent with these two 
circles when we share the deepest things of 
life ? Much as I owe to them, I owe still more 
to the practice which I am here emphasizing, 
namely, that of breaking away entirely from 
the presence of men and shutting oneself in 
alone with God and His truth for purposes of 
self-examination, prolonged reflection, com¬ 
munion, and resolution. In reading Hanna’s 
“Memoirs of Dr. Chalmers,” that great 
preacher of Scotland, I discovered that for 
years he had the practice of spending a day 
each month in this vital manner. That ex¬ 
plains the secret of his shaking the great city 
of Glasgow and exerting an influence felt there 
to this day. 

Let each one at all costs observe the Morn¬ 
ing Watch. What is meant by this habit? 

[ 109 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

It means beginning each day recollectedly with 
God in the meditative reading of the Scrip¬ 
tures, in prayer, and in being silent unto God. 
Notice, the beginning of every day in this way, 
not every other day, and not simply the days 
when it is easiest to do so. Most of us have 
discovered that the days when we find it most 
difficult to begin in this way are the days when 
we are most likely to need the particular help 
which comes from such a practice. Some of 
you may have heard me speak on the subject 
of the Morning Watch in your college days or 
at some religious convention, or you may have 
seen the pamphlet I wrote which has passed 
through many editions and has been translated 
into many languages. The other day a man 
asked me whether if I were revising this 
pamphlet I would change it. In reply I told 
him that I would not modify it in any essen¬ 
tial respect. In the light of experience and 
observation one may say with conviction that 
there is no habit more calculated to preserve 
the sense of reality in faith, to maintain and 
augment spiritual energy, and to prepare one 
for recognizing and heeding dangers and op¬ 
portunities than that of beginning each day in 
this way. John Wesley wrote on the fly-leaf 

[ 110 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 


of his Bible the words “Live Today.” One 
may wisely place beneath them, “Begin the 
day with God.” The man who heeds both in¬ 
junctions cannot drift far away from his Lord. 

Each man must fight for his prayer life. The 
more sacred and potential a spiritual practice 
or observance is, the more do our spiritual 
enemies seek to rob it of reality and make of 
it a mere form. Prayer, that is, actual com¬ 
munion with the Living God, is, or should 
be, the greatest reality judged by effects in 
us and through us. And yet, have you not at 
times found yourself on your knees nominally 
in the act of prayer and yet not conscious of 
the words you were uttering, still less of the 
Being to whom you should be addressing your 
words? This is not prayer but formality, the 
great enemy of prayer. David was able to 
say, “I give myself unto prayer.” He gave 
not simply his tongue but his consciousness, 
his whole attention, his personality, himself, 
unto this unutterably important spiritual 
exercise. Every now and then some worker 
unburdens himself to me deploring the fact 
that prayer has little or no meaning to him, 
that he cannot discover that it changes his 
life or affects his influence on others. Some 

[ 111 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

of them even confess that as a result of this 
unfortunate experience they have virtually 
given up praying. Have not all persons who 
have experienced the greatest helpfulness from 
prayer discovered the wisdom and necessity 
of attuning their souls unto God before prayer, 
or reflecting before prayer on the meaning of 
it all—that is, to Whom am I now going to 
speak? What is His character? What is His 
disposition? What are His resources? What 
have His ways ever been? Why do I seek 
His face? With what motive? These ques¬ 
tions suggest what is meant by preparation of 
soul. An invaluable help in preparation for 
prayer is the reading meditatively certain 
psalms, or flights of the prophets, or words of 
Christ, or apostrophes of St. Paul, or visions 
of the Book of Revelation. Certain poems, or 
hymns, or contacts with nature, similarly 
facilitate coming into a realization of God’s 
presence and of actual communion with Him. 

We also need to learn the lesson which the 
Quakers or Friends have to teach us. It is 
their custom after audible prayer, as well as 
under other circumstances, to listen to what 
God has to say to them. “My soul be thou 
silent unto God.” We do well to remember 

[ 112 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 


that prayer is not monologue but dialogue. 
Two must participate if there is to be real com¬ 
munion. Too often our prayers are limited 
to what is suggested by the words “Hear, 
Lord, for Thy servant speaketh,” instead of 
including not only speaking unto God but also 
exemplifying what is indicated in the words, 
“Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth.” 

Some have asked me to recommend two or 
three books which will be of the most practical 
help to one’s prayer life. Among three or 
four hundred books and pamphlets on prayer 
which I have had occasion to examine at one 
time or another, I would recommend the fol¬ 
lowing: “Secret Prayer,” by Moule, late 
Bishop of Durham. This little book is packed 
with wholesome counsel based on a life of great 
reality in prayer. “The Still Hour,” by Aus¬ 
tin Phelps, which for a time was out of print, 
is again available. This most penetrating book 
exposes the weaknesses and shams in connec¬ 
tion with the prayer practices of many and 
gives invaluable constructive suggestions. 
Need I emphasize that more recent classic, 
Fosdick’s “The Meaning of Prayer,” which 
has enriched the lives of so many thousands in 
our day? Only a few months ago there ap- 

[ 113 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

peared a book which I cannot too strongly 
recommend, entitled “Lord, Teach Us to 
Pray,” by Alexander Whyte, the great 
preacher of Free St. George’s in Edinburgh. 
The book is made up of a number of his 
remarkable sermons on prayer which have 
been assembled since his death. They are 
truly dynamic and quickening. Considering 
those to whom I am speaking, it hardly seems 
necessary to call attention to books dealing 
with the apologetic and philosophical aspect 
of the subject. 

It would be worth while for each one of us 
to have always near at hand one of the great 
devotional books of the world to which we may 
devote spare fragments of time. If a travel¬ 
ing worker, have it in the top of your bag. If 
stationed at one post, have the book in some 
place where you will frequently see it and be 
reminded of it. Thus in the course of a year, 
by utilizing even the little vacant spaces of 
time, you can read a few of the books that will 
never die. 

My own impression is that the greatest de¬ 
votional books are those of other centuries. 
What books have come out during the last 
generation which we would put in a group with 

[ 114 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 

such works as the following? “The Practice 
of the Presence of God,” by Brother Law¬ 
rence; “The Serious Call,” by Law; “The 
Confessions of St. Augustine”; “Pilgrim’s 
Progress,” by Bunyan; “Holy Living,” by 
Jeremy Taylor. At the same time there have 
appeared within a generation certain books 
which in the light of their influence on others 
may profitably engage our best attention. For 
example, “Revival Lectures,” of Charles G. 
Finney. Or think of the commentary on the 
Gospel of St. John by Marcus Dods. Henry 
Drummond told me once that he owed more 
to Marcus Dods than to all of his other teach¬ 
ers. One does not wonder at this after spend¬ 
ing months poring over this most vital exposi¬ 
tory work—a work which brings vividly before 
us on almost every page the Living Christ. 
On this present, journey I have read with 
greatest profit the latest book of Bufus J ones, 
“Spiritual Energies in Daily Life.” While 
using thought and language true to the latest 
word of science, philosophy, and psychology, 
it holds with sure grasp the unchanging facts 
of our faith. 

Let us count that day lost in which we do 
not expose our lives to the Word of God. 

[ 115 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

Chrysostom insists that the cause of all our 
evils is in our not knowing the Scriptures. 
Wise are we, therefore, if we keep turned 
upon our inner lives, out of which are the 
issues of life, this great search-light. To 
change the figure and to enlarge our concep¬ 
tion, think of the Bible as a great spiritual 
dynamo releasing spiritual light, heat, and 
energy. It brings to mind the words of De 
Quincey, “All literature is divided into the 
literature of knowledge and the literature of. 
power.” Judged by the vast and accumulat¬ 
ing evidence of the centuries as to its vitalizing 
energy and transforming influence in the lives 
of individuals and of society, the Bible is pre¬ 
eminently the literature of power. In this 
connection it is well to recall that the writers 
of the devotional books to which attention has 
been called, and of the many others which 
might be named by all of us, derived their 
principal illumination and inspiration for writ¬ 
ing as they did from real and prolonged ex¬ 
posure to the words which are indeed spirit 
and vitality. Why be satisfied with going 
solely or chiefly to secondary sources? Why 
not go to the original fountain? These things 

[ 116 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 

ought we to have done and not to have left the 
other undone. The study of our Scriptures 
makes us one with Christians of all ages. 

Let us avail ourselves conscientiously and 
faithfully of the privileges of the Christian 
Church. This Divine Society was established 
by our Lord and His Apostles to hold in 
prominence His mission and to bring to bear 
His principles and life on all human life and 
relationships. Not without serious loss can any 
Christian neglect its ministrations and obliga¬ 
tions. How little we appreciate the priceless 
benefits which result from coming under the 
influence of the regular teaching and preach¬ 
ing functions of the ministry. As a traveling 
worker possibly I am in a position to realize 
the loss of this privilege as those who are en¬ 
gaged in local work cannot so well do. Think 
of that sacramental observance established by 
our Lord not only to remind His followers 
through all the centuries of the profound 
meaning of His death, but also, possibly quite 
as much, of His living presence. A prominent 
Christian worker confessed to me not long ago 
that over a year had elapsed since last he par¬ 
took of the Holy Communion. What im¬ 
poverished, what shallow, what lonely lives we 

[ 117 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


live in contrast with lives that should be char¬ 
acterized by ever-deepening and ever-expand¬ 
ing fellowship with Christ. 

We should recognize the vital relation which 
exists between our bodily states on the one 
hand and, on the other hand, the profit derived 
from our spiritual exercises. Contrast, for ex¬ 
ample, the help you receive from the Morning 
Watch on the morning following a sleepless 
night when you bring to this potential practice 
a tired or restless mind and dulled sensibilities, 
with what you receive on the morning when 
you awake refreshed in body, with mind clear 
and alert, with memory retentive, and with 
your spiritual sensibilities quickly responsive. 
Have we not discovered that there is all the 
difference in the world? The great apostle en¬ 
joins us to present our bodies “a living sacri¬ 
fice” to the Lord; not half alive. To this most 
important office of our lives, that of holding 
communion with the most high God and of 
seeking to deepen our acquaintance with Him, 
we should bring our bodies at their best. We 
of the Young Men’s Christian Association, 
with the Red Triangle as our emblem, should, 
above all others, illustrate this distinctive as¬ 
pect of the underlying philosophy of our pro- 

[ 118 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 

gram which recognizes the unity of man. 
This idea takes on deeper meaning when we 
think of the Incarnation—Christ taking on the 
form of man. He seeks today to clothe Him¬ 
self with men. Our bodies thus in a very real 
sense are the temples of the Holy Ghost. In 
high efficiency we should develop them; with 
reverence we should treat them; and all their 
powers should be made tributary to achieving 
the highest and holiest ends. 

Again, a man cannot be a Christian alone. 
Every one who bears Christ’s name is designed 
to be a witness-bearer to Christ, and, therefore, 
definitely to extend His sway over the lives of 
individuals and of society. To be quite con¬ 
crete, each one of us should, within the sphere 
of his daily calling and opportunity, be striv¬ 
ing not only by life, but also and increasingly 
by word, to introduce others to Him and to 
bring them under His rule. I do not know 
how it is with you, but nothing fetches me up 
more sharply and quickly with reference to 
my religious thinking and spiritual life than 
to try to present Christ to one who does not 
believe on Him. How it searches one’s own 
heart and tries one’s own motives! How it 
leads us to weigh our words as to whether we 

[ 119 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


mean precisely what we say! How it drives 
us to the Bible! How it sends us to our knees 
with a sense of our own limitations! 

A few years ago, as my administrative re¬ 
sponsibilities became greatly enlarged, I said 
to myself, if I am spending twelve or fourteen 
hours a day in administrative work—that is, in 
thinking out policies and plans for others, in 
enlisting and coaching others, in raising funds 
to multiply the number of workers, in co¬ 
ordinating and combining the forces—surely 
this will take the place of that for which there 
is no time,—direct contacts with men individ¬ 
ually and in groups with reference to leading 
them into the Christian life. Plausible though 
this was, I discovered that I was fast becoming 
professionalized, merely a machine or engine 
driver, and was in grave spiritual danger. 
Then I reverted to the old, and I cannot but 
believe more Christ-like, practice of combining 
with other responsibilities and more indirect 
methods of affecting the lives of men, the tak¬ 
ing advantage of opportunities to minister to 
the spiritual needs of men one by one or in 
larger companies. I am confident that your 
experience will be the same as mine, that, if 
we are to preserve a sense of the great reali- 

[ 120 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 


ties, we must identify ourselves with individual 
men—sinful men, struggling men, lonely and 
neglected men, men wandering in the mazes 
of doubt and uncertainty, men on the verge of 
grave peril or standing in hesitation before 
doors of great opportunity, and strive to relate 
them to Christ and His program. 

Moreover, if we are to preserve our own 
faith as a living reality and commend it to dis¬ 
cerning and inquiring men, we must seek not 
only to introduce men to the Lord of Life 
and bring them singly under His actual sway, 
but also, with wisdom and heroism, apply the 
unerring principles and the Spirit of Christ 
to the un-Christlike social conditions of modem 
life and to all other human relationships. One 
reason, and a sufficient reason, explaining why 
certain of our workers here and there are fail¬ 
ing to bring conviction to the unbelieving, the 
indifferent and the inquiring, is that they do 
not rise in protest against conditions, practices, 
and policies which are in direct contradiction 
to the teachings and example of Christ and do 
not by prophetic advocacy and, if need be, by 
sacrificial effort, use their full influence and 
power to bring about thorough and permanent 
changes. This point will take on larger mean- 

[ 121 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


ing in the years directly before us. It is not 
putting it too strongly to say that Christians 
are to be on trial in these coming fateful and 
creative years possibly more so than during 
the recent years of upheaval. Which way shall 
we go ? Christ is the way, as well as the truth 
and the life. At times it will be a lonely way 
and it will lead to rugged heights, but the 
pathway of sacrificial service is the pathway 
of leadership and of ultimate victory. 

If we are to win out over all our enemies, 
we must preserve a right attitude toward our 
temptations. Need I say that this means an 
attitude of uncompromising warfare? Our 
lives must be a challenge and not a truce. 
Every man of us is tempted and ever will be. 
Our temptations are multiplying as we grow 
older, as our opportunities widen and as our 
responsibilities increase; yes, and as we ad¬ 
vance in spirituality. There is large meaning 
in that phrase, “the spiritual hosts of wicked¬ 
ness in the heavenly places.” Notice, not here 
and there an isolated enemy, but hosts and 
armies, dominions and powers oppose us. The 
secret of consistent and complete victory is a 
simple one. Each temptation begins with a 
thought. Christ was tempted in all points like 

[ 122 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 


as we are, yet without sin. The secret of His 
not sinning was that He met each temptation 
as it presented itself and never permitted it to 
find foothold or lodgment in His mind or 
heart. 

This suggests the inestimable value of the 
habit of ejaculatory prayer. Every student of 
Latin here at once catches the meaning—a 
dart shot up, that is, looking to God instantly 
wherever we are, whether alone or in the pres¬ 
ence of others. The moment a wrong thought 
or incitement presents itself we look away from 
ourselves, away from our enemies to our Liv¬ 
ing Lord. I used to think that to pray I had 
to wait until my customary hour of prayer, 
perchance the last thing at night when I could 
kneel down and speak to God. Or I thought 
that to pray I must get away from the pres¬ 
ence of other people so that I could talk aloud 
to God. Later, when I learned the meaning 
of ejaculatory prayer, I came to see that often 
the most effective prayers consist simply of a 
look—a look away from confidence in our¬ 
selves to faith in our living, present Lord. 
Let me repeat that word of the Psalmist, 
“Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for He 
shall pluck my feet out of the net.” Notice 

[ 123 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


his eyes were not fixed on the net, for that 
might have disconcerted or unnerved him, but 
on the Lord, the source of courage, energy, 
and victory. Do we not now see what the 
Apostle meant when he exhorted the Christian 
to pray without ceasing? Unmistakably he 
had in mind our acquiring and preserving that 
attitude of openness and responsiveness to God 
and looking unto Him. 

On my first visit to Japan I spent a 
memorable morning with one of the greatest 
missionaries of modern times, Dr. Greene. I 
asked him some thirty or forty questions and 
wrote down quite fully his answers. Were I 
at liberty to print them, it would constitute a 
really wonderful document. The last question 
I asked him was, “Dr. Greene, what is the 
greatest thought you ever had, judged by its 
effects on yourself, and so far as you can tell, 
on others through you?” 

He reflected quite a while and then replied, 
“If I may express it in the language of the 
writer of the psalm—‘The Lord is at my right 
hand.’ ” 

As I have pondered again and again this 
simple and pregnant word, the more its won¬ 
derful content and adequacy have impressed 

[ 124 ] 


THE CONFLICT OF THE WORKER 


themselves upon me. It brings to mind the 
same thought voiced by St. Paul, “The Lord 
stood by me, and strengthened me.” And this 
calls up the words of our Lord, “He that 
sent me is with me; He hath not left me alone.” 
This thought of the immanence of God is the 
one I would leave with you. In a true sense 
it gathers up all that I have tried to say, as I 
have drawn not only on personal experience 
but on that of Christians the world over in 
whom I have full confidence. If the Lord is, 
as He unquestionably is, at the right hand of 
each one whose heart is right toward Him, 
then there can be no such thing as loneliness, 
no such thing as discouragement, no such thing 
as defeat, no such thing as atrophy or want 
of vitality, and, therefore, no such thing as 
unproductivity or small spiritual results. In 
conscious relation to the Living Christ, the 
Fountain Head of spiritual energy and vital¬ 
ity, lies the deep but open secret of abundant 
life, abounding service, and undying influence. 


[ 125 ] 










WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO 
THE FAITH OF YOUNG MEN 
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD 
IN THE PAST FEW YEARS? 









y 


What Has Happened to the Faith of 
Young Men Throughout the World 
in the Past Few Years? 

My recent travels and other contacts with 
different parts of the world have convinced 
me that there has come a revival of interest in 
matters pertaining to the Christian faith. The 
great upheaval of the World War and the 
many political and social revolutions and dis¬ 
turbances which have characterized the post¬ 
war period, have served to affect profoundly 
the religious life of men. One is not unmindful 
of the fact that the war experiences and the 
disillusionments of the subsequent years have 
had a most unfavorable effect on the faith of 
many—leaving some in a state of confusion 
and uncertainty, others in pessimism or 
despair, and still others indifferent and callous 
to the claims of religion. Nevertheless a study 
of the intellectual, social, and spiritual move¬ 
ments, tendencies, and attitudes among youth 

[ 129 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


all over the world has left on my mind a most 
reassuring and hopeful impression. Among 
students and other inquiring young men, both 
in the Orient and in the Occident, there are 
new-thought movements, renaissance move¬ 
ments, new-youth movements. While each of 
these manifestations of thought activity has its 
own distinctive characteristics, all of them re¬ 
veal certain common traits such as dissatisfac¬ 
tion with the past, the spirit of searching in¬ 
quiry, and a serious determination to bring in 
a better day. It may be questioned whether in 
all time there has ever been such widespread 
and deep interest in religion. Wide and care¬ 
ful observers have been deeply impressed by 
the changes which the faith of men is under¬ 
going. The question arises, What has hap¬ 
pened to the faith of young men in these recent 
years ? 

Faith has been and is being purified. The 
Great Plague of London in 1665 was suc¬ 
ceeded by a great fire, which, terrible visitation 
though it was, cleansed the city of unsanitary 
and deadly conditions that had fostered the 
pestilence. So the intense testing of spirit and 
the widespread suffering to which men have 
been subjected, have unmistakably served to 

[130] 


THE FAITH OF YOUNG MEN 

cleanse the lives of many. Uncleanliness/sin-,' 
ful indulgence, selfishness are being burned 
away. They cannot stand before wounds, dis¬ 
eases, agonies, loss, sorrow, and death. Like¬ 
wise faith is being purified seven times, as it 
were, in fire. The past ten years have been the 
most searching time modern Christianity has 
known. “It is,” to use the word of a Russian 
priest, “as if the Day of Judgment had come to 
earth.” As a result of the hardships, the test¬ 
ings, and the judgments of these trying years, 
faith is being purified of superstition, of the 
flimsy, of the formal and the conventional. 
The pure gold and precious stones abide. As 
a discerning writer in The Outlook has ob¬ 
served, “God is never so impressively present 
as when men are driven back from false goals 
by fire and tempest.” 

Faith has been and is being simplified. 
Young men today may not believe so many 
things as they thought they did a decade ago, 
but the things they believe, they actually do 
believe; that is, they hold them with a sure 
grasp. You place a man before machine guns 
or under the hail of shrapnel, and he casts 
aside the non-essential. The same is true when 
men find themselves in the days of heaving 

[131] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

foundations, of revolutions, and of social 
changes, or in the presence of famine and pesti¬ 
lence. In hours of supreme testing, the ulti¬ 
mate facts alone count. Under such conditions 
a man distinguishes between the primary and 
essential in matters of faith, and in what he 
comes to regard as secondary, temporary, vari¬ 
able, and local. Thus we find many a young 
man giving up man-made theologies and purely 
human speculations. They question, likewise, 
formal and dogmatic Christianity. Questions 
of life are reduced to their final simplicity: Is 
there a God ? Can He help me in my struggles 
and in my efforts to build a nobler and more 
useful life? How can I find Him? How may 
Christ become a reality to me? Men are thus 
being driven from externals to the center—to 
the Bible, to the New Testament, to Christ 
Himself—the very heart of Christianity. 

Faith has been and is being centered and 
established in the personality of Jesus Christ. 
Never have other powers and influences so 
revealed their inadequacy as during the past 
few years. From one after the other of the 
so-called supports of civilization, the confi¬ 
dence of mankind has been withdrawn. Their 
faith cannot rest on abstractions, on self- 

[132] 


THE FAITH OF YOUNG MEN 


suggestion, on some shadowy and impersonal 
influence, or on merely human personalities. 
Men are coming to lean not on the teachings 
about Christ, but on Christ Himself. The 
“back to Christ” tendency, which has been so 
characteristic of modern theological scholars 
for many years, is now powerfully re-enforced 
and illustrated in the experiences of countless 
men who have passed through the dark 
shadows of the last decade. His words are 
suddenly found to be the only words adequate 
to meet the situation and to satisfy the hearts 
and minds of troubled men. Everything else 
has been shaken—agnosticism, atheism, materi¬ 
alism, positivism, rationalism. There has been 
a shattering of earthly ideals. There has come 
a vivid revelation of the transitoriness of ma¬ 
terial possessions. This has served to reveal 
in clearer light the great unseen Reality. 
Nothing has happened in these recent years to 
invalidate any claim ever made by Christ. 
Prophetic and heroic spirits have come to see 
that Christ only is the hope of a new social 
order. In Him is the only hope of equalizing, 
stabilizing, reconstructing, and regenerating 
the world. 

Larger reality is being given to faith. On 

[133] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


every hand sham and hypocrisy are being 
shed. Empty phrases and mere formal pro¬ 
fession do not satisfy. A sense of reality is 
abroad—an unaccustomed frankness and hon¬ 
esty. Men demand in themselves and in others 
downright sincerity. They insist that in our 
speech we shall say what we mean and mean 
what we say. They demand that conduct be 
coordinated with creed. Moreover, in our at¬ 
titude toward the evils of the day, there is a 
hopeful insistence that uncompromising war¬ 
fare be waged. Large and increasing numbers 
are demanding that Christianity actually be 
tried, that the reign of Christ be extended over 
every area of life, and that it govern all human 
relationships. 

Faith is being enlarged and expanded. 
Men find that they must believe more or not 
at all. Though what has been said about many 
men’s faith having been simplified, so that they 
may not believe as many things as they once 
thought they believed, is true, it is likewise 
true that their faith has fuller and richer con¬ 
tent. Professor Cairns, of Aberdeen, insists 
that out of these years of turmoil a new the¬ 
ology must come—a theology more true to the 
New Testament and the facts of experience. 

[134] 


THE FAITH OF YOUNG MEN 


Certainly men are finding the Bible, the great 
source literature of our faith, a new collec¬ 
tion of writings. It seems meant for today. 
True it is, that the Bible is never more at home 
than in the midst of great trials and uncertain¬ 
ties. An impossible world situation has put 
new meaning into this great Revelation. With 
what startling vividness have some pages of 
the Scriptures leaped out at us during recent 
years; for example, certain of the Psalms, 
certain portions of the Prophets, such Epistles 
as First and Second Peter, parts of the Book 
of Revelation. 

New and larger meaning is being put into 
old aspects of the Christian faith. Take, for 
example, the matter of sin. No one today 
questions its reality, its heinousness, and that 
its wages are literally death, that is, separation 
from vitality. Think also of the sufficiency 
and necessity of Christ’s salvation. What a 
flood of light has been thrown on the work 
which He only can do. No longer do the fol¬ 
lowing words seem like narrow dogmatism, 
but rather like scientific generalization, 4 'There 
is none other Name under Heaven, given 
among men, whereby we must be saved.” 
Light has also broken upon Christ’s great sac- 

[135] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

rifice. How inadequate hitherto have been our 
conceptions of what bearing the Cross means. 
We see now that it was not an accident nor an 
incident, but the expression of a principle, and 
more, by which any soul or nation can be 
saved. Thus the awful suffering and loss 
caused by the war are given a new and a pro¬ 
found meaning. The thoughts of millions, 
likewise, have been turned to life after death 
so that literally immortality has been brought 
into light. What a vast volume of new and 
most helpful literature on the subject of im¬ 
mortality has appeared within the past five 
years. Above all, in the faith and life of 
countless men, the superhuman element in 
Christianity has become a great reality. On 
every hand we find among young men new 
faith in God and in prayer. While the war, 
and, possibly even more, the grave disap¬ 
pointments in the post-war period have shaken 
confidence in man, this loss has been more than 
offset by a new and growing confidence in God. 
It is a great thing to have this new apprecia¬ 
tion of the infinite worth of the Christian Gos¬ 
pel and this more vivid realization of the spir¬ 
itual realities. Let it stimulate us all to more 

[136] 


THE FAITH OF YOUNG MEN 


daring conceptions of the character, purposes, 
and resources of our God. 

These very real and most significant 
changes in the beliefs and lives of men con¬ 
stitute a challenge to our own faith. They 
challenge us, in the first place, to re-examine 
the foundations and content of our faith. 
Why should we be mere spectators, investiga¬ 
tors, and commentators on the deeper thought 
and faith experiences of others? Why should 
not each one of us become part of a new- 
thought movement? There are any number 
of questions regarding matters of faith raised 
by recent events. These questions involve 
the whole range of our own religious position 
and experience. If we cannot give satisfying 
answers to these questions, there is something 
lacking in the thoroughness and earnestness of 
our processes. Let us not shrink from re¬ 
thinking and restating our religious positions. 

The challenge calls upon us also to enter 
into the new revelations which God has to 
make to us. Here again there is no limit to 
what is possible. The range and grasp of our 
faith in the coming days should far transcend 
our past experience. In the religion of the 
Living Christ our spiritual experience may be- 

[137] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


come vastly richer, stronger, more reasonable, 
more vital, more satisfying. This partly be¬ 
cause we are surrounded by so much greater 
numbers of genuine and heroic witnesses; and 
partly because of the great vistas of the possi¬ 
bilities of the Christian life which have been 
opened to us in recent days. 

The challenge demands of us that we apply 
our faith daily and courageously within the 
range of our own lives and relationships. All 
of us, likewise, as national citizens and as 
world citizens, should seek to bring the prin¬ 
ciples of our faith, which are the unerring 
principles of our Lord Himself, to bear upon 
the present social, racial, and international 
problems. Thus the cause of Christ and His 
Church may be lifted permanently to a new 
level. We do well to remind ourselves that 
Christ is large enough to meet this present 
overwhelming world situation, or He is not 
large enough to meet the needs and longings 
of our own lives. 

The challenge comes to us with irresistible 
force to propagate our faith. We have been 
summoned to nothing less than a world¬ 
embracing campaign to bring all men under 
the sway of the Lord Jesus Christ. The strife, 

[138] 


THE FAITH OF YOUNG MEN 

disorder, and chaos still so widely prevalent, 
do not constitute a reason for doubt but a 
challenge to faith. The breakdown and col¬ 
lapse of so much of the work of man should 
be regarded by genuine Christians not as a 
stumbling block, but as a stepping stone into 
a far higher spiritual experience. The period 
through which we have just been passing, and 
from which we have not fully emerged, is one 
designed to be a deep moral and spiritual 
preparation for an unprecedented advance. 
At a time when so many are still in the dark, 
there is need of multiplying the number of 
men who will, with penetrating and triumphant 
faith, see through the present confused events 
the day of inevitable victory. 




[ 139 ] 





WHY AN INCREASING 
NUMBER OF YOUNG MEN 
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD 

BELIEVE IN 
JESUS CHRIST AS LORD 














VI 


Why an Increasing Number of Young 

Men Throughout the World Believe 
in Jesus Christ as Lord 

Among the young men in different parts of 
the world, there is a movement away from the 
non-Christian religions, away from irreligion, 
away from indifference concerning religion— 
a movement toward Jesus Christ and belief on 
Him as the Divine Lord and Saviour. Hap¬ 
pily this Christward trend among young men 
and boys is observable both inside and outside ( 
the centers of learning. What are the reasons 
why young men who once were unbelievers, 
have come today into a reasonable and vital 
faith in the divinity or deity of Jesus Christ? 
By a reasonable faith is meant a faith for 
which they can give satisfying reasons; by a 
vital faith is meant a faith which effects pro¬ 
found and permanent changes in their lives 
and in their relationships to their fellow men. 

In seeking to answer this question, I shall 

[143] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


try to state as nearly as I can the testimony 
of hundreds, possibly I should be more nearly 
accurate if I said thousands, of the young men 
of different communities at home as well as 
abroad, who have conversed with me upon 
matters of faith and have told me of their 
spiritual experience. While I cannot hope to 
give all the reasons underlying the faith thus 
manifested in Christ as Lord, I shall try to 
indicate the paths by which I found the larg¬ 
est numbers of young men emerging from un¬ 
belief, doubt, and uncertainty, into the full 
assurance and unshakable conviction of genu¬ 
ine faith. Some of you may take issue with 
what will be said, but, if so, let me remind you 
that you will be taking issue not with the 
speaker, but with the actual and authentic ex¬ 
periences of the young men themselves. 

At the outset I would, indicate that very 
many of the young men of our generation have 
been led to believe in the deity of Christ by 
the consideration of His character. They have 
approached His character as they would that 
of any other great religious leader whom they 
wished to understand. They find that His 
character embraces all the good traits which 
mark other good and great men. And more 

[ 144 ] 





JESUS CHRIST AS LORD 


than this, they note that in Christ all of these 
traits are developed to a higher degree than in 
other men, even to that degree which they are 
obliged to characterize as perfection. More¬ 
over, as they prolong their studies, they find in 
Christ certain traits not known in the world: 
for example, superhuman insight, superhuman 
resourcefulness enabling Him to overcome 
every kind of difficulty and evil and to prove 
adequate to meet every situation and need, 
absolute humility, perfectly unselfish love, the 
spirit of complete forgiveness, and absolute 
purity or sinlessness. They cannot say this of 
any other character they have studied. 

The perfect balance of the character of 
Jesus Christ also deeply impresses them. 
With Him no trait is weak; and, on the other 
hand, no trait is exaggerated. Am I not right 
in saying that all other men have what we call 
their strong points and their weak points? 
What would you call the strong points of 
Jesus Christ in the sense of being more com¬ 
plete than the other aspects of His character? 
And what would you call His weak points? 
You see where these men have been led. They 
have been led to a position, where, in all con¬ 
scientiousness, they have had to say that Christ 

[ 145 ] 







CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


combines the traits that distinguish man and 
the traits that must surely characterize God. 

Christ’s is a character that could not have 
been imagined. Rousseau, that keen French 
unbeliever, saw this. He said the inventor of 
such a character would be far more astonishing 
than his hero. It could not have been in¬ 
vented; therefore, it must have been historical. 
We are driven to the conclusion that this char¬ 
acter is unexplainable apart from the hypo¬ 
thesis that Christ was sui generis ; or, to use 
that apt phrase which Bushnell uses as a cap¬ 
tion of one of his chapters, “The character of 
Jesus forbids His possible classification with 
men.” In Christ we have a true descent of 
God among men. He was, “Other than all 
the rest, strong among the weak, erect among 
the fallen, believing among the faithless, clean 
among the defiled, living among the dead.” 
We do not wonder that Pilate said, “I find 
no fault in this man.” 

A second class of young men have been led 
primarily by the thorough study of the teach¬ 
ings of Christ into this belief on Him as Lord. 
Here likewise they have taken up His teach¬ 
ings and principles and have tried to study 
them as they would the teachings of other re- 

[ 146 ] 






JESUS CHRIST AS LORD 


ligious thinkers. If you have read the sacred 
books of the East, I think your impression has 
been identical with mine, namely, how far one 
has to travel to find teachings that impress one 
as vital and abiding, and as possessing germi¬ 
nating and dynamic power. How different 
the impression made on one by even a super¬ 
ficial reading of the teaching of Jesus Christ. 
A close and comparative study shows that His 
teachings mark Him off from every teacher { 
who preceded him, and He has had no suc¬ 
cessor. What teaching of any other religious 
leader which would be regarded today as es¬ 
sential religious truth is not also found among 
the teachings of Christ ? Moreover, in the case 
of other religions these scattered truths appear 
as broken lights, whereas among the teachings 
of Jesus they are concentrated into an intense 
blaze. 

And more important, Christ’s teachings 
contain a number of truths which are today 
admitted to be the most important in the realm 
of religion—teachings that had their sole foun¬ 
tain in His mind. You ask me what are some 
of these unique teachings. Among them I 
note: A universal spiritual reign, sometimes 
called the Kingdom of God, which is some day 

[ 147 ] 



CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

to become co-extensive with the whole earth. 
From the confused and narrow descriptions of 
the Kingdom of God current in His day, he 
recalled His people to the high conceptions of 
their great prophets, filling those ancient 
visions with a new and living content. In 
what other religion do you find that con¬ 
ception? The idea of the Fatherhood of God 
as we understand the term, namely, God as the 
father of all nations and all races of mankind, 
and God as father in the sense revealed by 
Christ Himself, is something quite character¬ 
istic and unique. Also, the idea of sin as it 
has been set forth in the Christian Scriptures. 
We do not find the true idea of sin and the 
deep sense of sin which is the proof of the 
existence of the idea, in the realm of non- 
Christian religions. Similarly, we miss among 
the non-Christian religions the idea of forgive¬ 
ness of sin as it is lighted up and made at¬ 
tractive, appealing, and satisfying by Jesus 
Christ. And take the group of ideas about the 
soul: its reality, its immortality, its accounta¬ 
bility, its infinite worth. What other religions 
have presented them so vividly and in such a 
compelling manner? Harnack has shown that 
Christ’s teaching about “the higher righteous- 

[ 148 ] 


JESUS CHRIST AS LORD 

ness” and His commandment of love place 
Him in a class quite by Himself. The men 
here who have the most thorough knowledge 
of other religions, while bearing in mind cer¬ 
tain teachings of non-Christian faiths, for 
example, the teaching of compassion in Bud¬ 
dhism, know how far these are transcended by 
a teaching like that of this great command¬ 
ment of love with all its revolutionizing and 
transforming power in the lives of men and of 
nations. 

We have all noted the grandeur of the teach¬ 
ings of Christ. When I sit alone in my room 
and read aloud to myself the words of Jesus 
Christ, it does not take a strain of imagination 
to think of myself as in the midst of the moun¬ 
tains of Northern India, or as on the sea in 
time of storm, or as looking upon the heavenly 
bodies. There is a grandeur, a majesty, a sub¬ 
limity about Christ the Teacher, to be found 
nowhere else. 

Think also of the range and the universality 
of His teachings. They meet and satisfy every 
possible need and aspiration of the human 
heart and of the human race. They are 
adapted to all ages, to all stages of intelli¬ 
gence, to all temperaments, to all social con- 

[ 149 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

ditions, to all nations and races. Who can 
measure the depth of Christ’s teachings? It 
is true that His words arrest and hold the at¬ 
tention of little children. This is in striking 
contrast with the impression made on them by 
the reading to them the words of Confucius, 
or of Plato, or of Buddha. But not only do 
Christ’s words interest little children, they also 
challenge and call out the best energies of the 
strongest intellects. No one is more ready to 
admit this than the men who have most deeply 
pondered the words of Christ. 

Observe the completeness of His teachings. 
What idea essential to the religious life has 
been added in well-nigh two thousand years? 
This suggests the timelessness of His words. 
Goethe said, “Beyond the grandeur and the 
moral elevation of the teachings of Christ as 
they shine and sparkle in the gospels the hu¬ 
man mind will not advance.” Furthermore, 
His teachings do not become obsolete. The 
learned scientist, Romanes, who, it is said, did 
not bow in prayer for twenty-five years, but 
who was finally led back into faith in Christ 
largely by the study of His teachings, has 
pointed out that the subsequent growth of 
knowledge and the subsequent progress of so- 

[ 150 ] 


JESUS CHRIST AS LORD 


ciety have not made it necessary to discount or 
discard any one of His many teachings. In 
contrast, read the writings of Confucius, or of 
Plato, or of other great religious and ethical 
leaders of the past and see how much is palpa¬ 
bly out of date. Last year while I was in 
China, in conversation with a group of Con- 
fucian scholars, they called attention to this 
very point. 

The vitality of Christ’s teachings is wonder¬ 
ful. What other teacher has propagated his 
ideas by peaceful means to such an extent as 
Jesus Christ? 

There is also inexhaustible force in His 
teachings. They seem to gather momentum 
with each succeeding generation and century. 
The authority of His teaching invariably im¬ 
presses one. He spoke with no uncertainty, 
with no equivocation, with no hesitation or 
reservation. Think, for example, of such 
words of His as these, “I am the Way, the 
Truth, and the Life”; “I am the resurrection 
and the life”; “Heaven and earth shall pass 
away, but my words shall not pass away”; “X, 
if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all 
men unto Me.” If He had spoken only yes¬ 
terday one might ask for time to test the 

[ 151 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


ground for His authority; but well-nigh two 
thousand years have elapsed and that authority 
has continued to gain weight and influence. 

More important and striking than all other 
aspects of Christ as a teacher is the fact that 
He lived what He taught. If you have never 
read through the gospels with this in mind, do 
so; and while doing so, contrast Christ’s reality 
in this respect with that of other religious 
teachers and leaders. Look, and you look in 
vain, to find a command of Christ which is 
not embodied in His practice. Look, and you 
look in vain, to find a precept which does not 
have its best illustration in Christ Himself. 
How far short other teachers fall of the truths 
they propagate regarding character and serv¬ 
ice. Not so Jesus Christ. 

His teachings not only stand the most thor¬ 
oughgoing and scientific testing when objec¬ 
tively viewed, but they also further attest their 
truth and the Divine character of the One 
Who proclaimed them, when they are applied 
to the life. Christ made this challenge, “If 
any man willeth to do His will, he shall know 
of the teaching, whether it be of God, or 
whether I speak from myself,” that is, simply 
as a man. It is as though a professor of geol- 

[ 152 ] 


JESUS CHRIST AS LORD 


ogy were propounding in the class-room a cer¬ 
tain theory concerning the structure of rocks, 
and the students would object and say: “Pro¬ 
fessor, we have never seen it in this way. We 
cannot accept your statement.” He would 
reply: “I did not expect that you would. I 
would much prefer that you traverse the path 
that I have walked over and by which I arrived 
at this theory. If you will go into the labora¬ 
tory, if you will go out into the fields, if you 
will take the hammer and the acids and the 
microscope and go through the experiments, 
you will find out whether what I have pro¬ 
pounded concerning the structure of these 
rocks is correct.” You would say, “That 
appeals to us as reasonable.” 

Jesus Christ made precisely the same test. 
In spirit He says, “You say you doubt whether 
I am different from other men save in point 
of degree. If you will take my teachings and 
obey them, if you will let them have right of 
way in your life, if you will make this a thor¬ 
ough and an honest test, you will discover 
whether I bear the marks of God.” Coleridge 
saw this point. He said, “The teachings of ^ 
Jesus Christ find me.” I was talking with a 
brilliant Jewess, a student in Melbourne Uni- 

[ 153 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

versity, during one of my trips to Australia. 
She said to me: “These teachings of Christ, 
I concede, are beyond those of any other 
teacher, but,” she added, “more wonderful 
than that, they make me want to obey them as 
I read them. I do not receive that impression 
from any other teachings.” As we take these 
teachings of Christ into our lives and obey 
them, cost what it may, we shall discover that 
they reveal a knowledge of ourselves that will 
startle us, a knowledge of us that no other 
mind has revealed to us. We shall find that 
they meet and satisfy our deepest needs and 
longings. We shall experience the fact that 
they convey an inspiration, an illumination, 
and an energizing influence such as no other 
words do. We shall then come to understand 
how it was that those who were His enemies 
could say, “Never man spake like this Man”; 
and how His friends could exclaim, “To whom 
shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal 
life.” And in time we shall one by one be able 
to say of Christ’s teachings with a meaning 
which we cannot attach to the sayings of any 
other teacher, that they “are spirit, and are 
life.” 

Not a few young men have been led to be- 

[ 154 ] 


JESUS CHRIST AS LORD 


lieve in Christ as Lord by dwelling on the sig¬ 
nificance of His death. First, as interpreted 
by Christ Himself. Look over the Gospels 
and you will notice that much more space is 
given to the account of the sufferings and 
death of Christ, that is, to His passion, than 
to any other part of His career. You will 
observe also, that He has spoken more than is 
usually supposed about the necessity of His 
death, the meaning of His death, and the 
power of His death. You will recall, for ex¬ 
ample, His teaching that His blood was to be 
shed for the remission of sins; and again, that 
He came to give His life a ransom for many.’ 
You will remember that He seemed to be un¬ 
der a divine compulsion toward the end of His 
life to go up to Jerusalem, as He said, there 
to die for the people. 

Secondly, they note the impression made by 
the death of Christ on those who lived nearest 
Him. Read the Epistles; read the sermons in 
the Acts of the Apostles; and observe the great 
prominence given by the early Christian 
leaders in their teaching and preaching to the 
death of Christ. Principal Denney of Scot¬ 
land rendered a lasting service in his work, 
“The Death of Christ,” by emphasizing the 

[ 155 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


place and the significance of this great fact 
which our generation has been prone to leave 
in the background. I would commend this 
book to every student for thoughtful reading. 
You will notice the prominence given to this 
doctrine in the preaching and teaching in that 
day when the Church had unparalleled spiri¬ 
tual achievements; for example, teachings like 
these: That He bore our sins in His body on 
the tree; that He was the propitiation, not for 
our sins only, but also for the sin of the world; 
» that He loosed us from all our sins by His own 
blood. 

They have also considered His death inter¬ 
preted not only by what Christ Himself said 
and by what those who lived nearest in time 
to Him said, but interpreted also by the im¬ 
pression it makes today on the hearts and con¬ 
sciences of men. The scientific method re¬ 
quires that account be taken of all the facts. 
Here is a stupendous fact, the impression made 
on living men by the death of Jesus Christ, 
coupled with the words of Himself and His 
Apostles as to the meaning of His death. If 
you ask me what class of men have been most 
impressed by the death of Christ, I would say 
that it is made up of the men who have come 

[ 156 ] 


JESUS CHRIST AS LORD 


to realize keenly their sinfulness, men who are 
conscious of the presence in their lives of spots 
and stains that they themselves cannot efface. 
And there are many more men of this class 
than people think! How many hundreds of 
them I meet from year to year! I met some 
last night. There are some before me now. 
The presence of sin, the stain of sin, and the 
sense of sin are facts and not theories. 

When I visited the Passion Play at Ober- 
ammergau last year, as I did also in 1910 and 
in 1900, I received a new impression of the 
power of Christ’s death in the lives of men. 
There were present four thousand people. We 
went into the great hall at eight o’clock in the 
morning; were there until twelve; we came 
back at one and remained until five—eight 
long hours. Those present were of nearly 
every nation and race, of many religions and 
of no religion. They spoke many different 
languages. A large section of them did not 
understand the language in which the play was 
going forward. Among them were men of all 
temperaments and of all stages of intelligence 
and culture, moreover. That entire vast audi¬ 
ence was riveted through that long day as I 
have never seen another audience held. What 

[157] 



CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


held them? Not the acting. Every actor in 
the play came from that little village of about 
one thousand inhabitants. You could have 
gone to any large city in Europe and seen bet¬ 
ter acting. Not the music. You could have 
gone to any capital in Europe and, from the 
critical point of view, heard much better music. 
What held these people with an intensity that 
became so close and painful that some were 
obliged to leave before the climax was reached 
in the crucifixion? It was the representation 
of an historical fact that awakened and satis¬ 
fied a sense of a correspondent universal need 
in the hearts of the people. 

When in my work with students and other 
young men, other arguments have failed, and 
v I have lifted up the cross of Jesus Christ, it has 
never failed to move men. You and I may 
not understand why or how it is that there is 
a necessary connection between the life and 
death of Jesus Christ on the one hand, and 
emancipation from the guilt and power of sin 
on the other; but we cannot doubt the fact that 
there is such a connection. Why? Precisely 
as we do not doubt that electricity exists be¬ 
cause of the light it sheds and the power it 
sends forth, although we cannot in the last 

[158] 


JESUS CHRIST AS LORD 


analysis explain the process and the causes. 
So we know the reality of this fact by the re¬ 
sults in the lives of men. And I remind you 
that these are not small or superficial results, 
but stupendous changes—changes from dark¬ 
ness into light, from despair into hope, from 
sense of burden into liberty, from conscious¬ 
ness of guilt to peace and joy. 

I find young men in all parts of the world 
who have been led into belief in the deity of 
Christ by pondering the facts in connection 
with the resurrection. It is my impression that 
students of law and of history have been ap¬ 
pealed to particularly by this argument; al¬ 
though it is not without its message to all 
classes of men who are influenced by evidence. 
Some have been most appealed to by the argu¬ 
ment of the witnesses. To show the force of 
this, one might concede that the gospels are 
not authentic historic records. (A position, I 
need not add, that I do not hold, either in the 
case of the synoptic gospels or of the Gospel of 
St. John.) The consensus of the best modern 
critical scholarship does not require that we 
do so. But for the moment let us limit our¬ 
selves in this immediate connection to the evi¬ 
dence brought forward in four documents that 

[159] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


few if any critics who today stand among 
the most scholarly constructive critics of de¬ 
vout spirit would exclude as historical docu¬ 
ments: Romans, First and Second Corinthians, 
and Galatians. According to the testimony of 
these letters written within twenty or thirty 
years after the alleged resurrection, we find 
that after Christ had been crucified, and had 
lain in the tomb, He rose again, and was seen 
on one occasion by Peter; on another occasion 
by the Twelve; on yet another occasion by five 
hundred people at one time, of whom the large 
majority were living at the time the record 
went forth; again, by all the Apostles; again, 
by James, who was the last man in the world 
to be deceived; and finally, by Paul himself. 

Would it not be difficult to find any histori¬ 
cal fact more securely established than this 
one ? What could be more convincing than the 
cumulative evidence of so many men living 
at the time and in the place where the events 
recorded are alleged to have taken place and 
who attested the genuineness and strength of 
their belief in not a few cases by martyrdom? 

But some have been more appealed to by the 
sequacious argument; that is, the influence of 
the alleged resurrection on the apostles; the 

[ 160 ] 


JESUS CHRIST AS LORD 

transformation that took place in their lives. 
In some respects this might better be called 
the psychological argument. Before the resur¬ 
rection, following the crucifixion, the apostles 
were despondent; directly after, they were full 
of hope. Before, they were sorrowful; right 
after, they abounded in joy. Before, they were 
unbelieving; afterwards, they had unwavering 
faith which nothing could daunt or shake. Be¬ 
fore, they had small and contracted ideas; 
afterwards, world-wide conceptions and pro¬ 
grams. Before, they were hesitant and with¬ 
out purpose; right after, they were purposeful, 
filled with aggressive enthusiasm, going forth 
to conquer the world and meeting with un¬ 
precedented results. Before, they were cow¬ 
ardly—yes, that is the word to use; afterwards, 
they had magnificent courage. Bobertson 
Nicoll has asked the question, “What made 
those who were like frightened sheep, who were 
panic-stricken when the Shepherd was smitten 
on Good Friday, as bold as lions on the day 
of Pentecost?” Now every student of psychol¬ 
ogy here knows that we must have an adequate 
cause for such a marvelous transformation. A 
change as revolutionary as this, not in one 
man but in many persons of different tempera- 

[ 161 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


ments, demands an adequate explanation. No 
theory has thus far been invented which meets 
the requirements of the case. The student of 
psychology finds the only satisfactory explana¬ 
tion in the resurrection of Christ from the dead 
as an historic fact. 

Within twenty or thirty years after the 
resurrection strong churches were in existence 
at Jerusalem, at Antioch, in Galatia, at 
V Corinth, at Rome, and elsewhere, churches of 
such strength that they were largely self-sup¬ 
porting and self-propagating, sending out 
mighty waves of influence into the regions be¬ 
yond. In all these churches the doctrine of the 
resurrection of Jesus Christ was unquestioned. 
There were parties in those churches; people 
were divided on many points; but on this point, 
the resurrection of Christ from the dead, they 
were agreed. As Denney in “Jesus and the 
Gospel” says: “The real historical evidence 
for the resurrection is the fact that it was be¬ 
lieved, preached, propagated, and produced its 
fruit and effect in the new phenomenon of the 
Christian Church, long before any of our gos¬ 
pels were written. ... Not one of them 
would ever have been written but for that 
faith.” 


[ 162 ] 


JESUS CHRIST AS LORD 


The Jews are a wonderful people. There 
is nothing more wonderful about them than 
their tenacity, and there is no more striking 
exhibition of their tenacity than the way in 
which they hold to the decalogue. And what 
article of the decalogue do they hold more se¬ 
curely in the midst of disintegrating influences, 
than the one that pertains to the Sabbath? 
Nevertheless, Jews, members of the common¬ 
wealth of Israel, established the Christian Sab- ^ 
bath in commemoration of the resurrection. 

Bishop Westcott says that the great argu¬ 
ment for the resurrection is the existence of 
the Church today. Think of it. The Church, 
beginning as a small, unacknowledged, and 
despised sect, conquered the Homan Empire, 
cast the spell of the matchless Christ over the 
rising nations of Northern and Western 
Europe, reached out to fashion the two great 
English speaking nations of North America, 
and down into the Southern Seas to mold Aus¬ 
tralasia, and is today moving with giant strides 
among the non-Christian nations. Its adher¬ 
ents are numbered by hundreds of mil¬ 
lions. It is admitted to be the most beneficent 
and powerful society among men. There must 
be a cause and a sufficient cause for such a 

[163] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


colossal result, and thoughtful men cannot find 
an adequate cause in superstition or delusion, 
but only in such a reality as this central, his¬ 
toric fact. 

There was a time in my college life when I 
did not believe in the deity of Jesus Christ. I 
was conscientious in my unbelief. I was spe¬ 
cializing on historical studies and other sub¬ 
jects preparatory to the legal profession. I 
was led to begin a study of the resurrection. 
I carried it on as well as I could without spe¬ 
cial leadership. It required a long time. I 
shall not forget the day and never will my life 
lose the inspiration which came when, after I 
had spread out on paper the evidence, I came 
to that position where to be intellectually hon¬ 
est I had to concede that Jesus Christ rose 
from the dead; and when I could say, with 
feeling and conviction, “My Lord and my 
God.” 

If I were to name another reason why young 
men are coming to believe in the deity of Jesus 
Christ I would add: By observing what He is 
doing today in the lives of men. Men in whom 
we have confidence tell us that at one time 
they did not believe on Christ as Lord. They 
were then led to comply with His conditions, 

[164] 


JESUS CHRIST AS LORD 

and as a result certain changes took place 
within the range of their experience; for ex¬ 
ample, the burden due to the sense of sin was 
removed; doubts were dissolved; temptations 
before which they formerly fell, they now over¬ 
came; habits that at one time shackled them 
were broken; a new disposition was created 
within them, so that things that they once hated 
they had now come to love, and the things they 
had once desired they had now come to hate; 
they had been filled with a new hope and 
energy not naturally their own. This testi¬ 
mony has been repeated and attested by 
countless millions throughout the generations. 
Romanes, to quote him again, has pointed out 
that it was not simply a change in name or 
opinion, but a modification in character more 
or less profound. These are facts, not fancies. 
The people who bear witness to them have a 
right to be heard. They, having complied with 
certain conditions, state that certain changes 
or results have been experienced. We cannot 
set aside such evidence; it calls for explana¬ 
tion. It is neither fair nor right for us to 
assume that these people are deluded. They 
are no more likely to be deluded than we are. 
Until one has gone over the path which they 

[165] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


have traveled and complied with the conditions, 
and paid the prices, as they have dene, it is 
both unscholarly and unjust to reject or 
ignore their evidence. 

What men want today is not so much more 
examples of righteous living; not so much more 
ethical and religious teaching—the world is 
filled with good teachings; not so much more 
sermons,—seldom have there been more and 
better sermons preached than one can hear in 
the churches today; not so much the dwelling 
on miracles which took place hundreds of years 
ago, important as these are. What men want 
—is it not true?—is a touch of the Almighty, 
here and now, a demonstration within them¬ 
selves of the reality of the spiritual facts and 
forces. Nothing can shake the faith of the 
man who has an experimental knowledge of 
the truth of the work of Christ in the lives of 
men. 


“And not for signs in heaven above 
Or earth below they look, 

Who know with John His smile of love 
With Peter His rebuke. 

“In joy of inward peace, or sense 
Of sorrow over sin, 

He is His own best evidence, 

His witness is within. 

[ 166 ] 


JESUS CHRIST AS LORD 

“But warm, sweet, tender, even yet 
A present help is He; 

And faith has still its Olivet, 

And love its Galilee. 

“The healing of His seamless dress 
Is by our beds of pain; 

We touch Him in life’s throng and press. 
And we are whole again. 



“Our Friend, our Brother, and our Lord, 

What may Thy service be?— 

Nor name, nor form, nor ritual word, 

But simply following Thee. 

“Our Lord and Master of us all! 

Whatever our name or sign, 

We own Thy sway, we hear Thy call, 

We test our lives by Thine.” 

It is this living demonstration for which each 
one of us should hunger and thirst; and we 
should not be satisfied until we experience it. 

In view of reasons like those we have con¬ 
sidered, am I not right in saying that the faith 
of this ever-increasing number of young men 
who have come to believe in the deity of Christ 
does not rest on superstition, hallucination, or 
self-suggestion; not upon sentiment or feel¬ 
ing; not upon unfounded tradition; not upon 
a system of theology, important as that is; 
not upon a collection of writings or upon an 

[167] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


organization, indispensable though both Bible 
and Church have been and are, as conservators 
and transmitters of the truth; but rather upon 
the bedrock of historic facts and of present- 
day evidences of the Living Christ? 

If an increasing number of the thoughtful 
men of our age, as a result of thorough con¬ 
sideration of these facts and reasons, have been 
led to believe in Christ as Lord and to yield 
themselves to His sway, is not the presump¬ 
tion overwhelming that any among us who 
have not so believed on Him and do not so be¬ 
lieve will likewise receive essential light and 
strength if we will but travel over the same 
path and comply with the same conditions? 
In indicating the reasons why young men have 
come into this vital belief in Jesus Christ, I 
have used the figure of their traveling over 
certain paths which have led them into this 
reality. We have observed that each one of 
these paths alone, quite apart from the others, 
has been found sufficient to lead numbers of 
open-minded and purposeful men into this be¬ 
lief. If any one of these paths does not appeal 
to some of us as one along which we should like 
to travel, I remind you that there still remain 
four other paths which have been largely used 

[ 168 ] 


JESUS CHRIST AS LORD 


and which have terminated in satisfying belief 
and experience. Another figure might be em¬ 
ployed. Instead of the five paths that have 
been indicated, we might regard these five 
groups of experiences of men as constituting 
five strong strands of a great cable. Suppose 
it be conceded that one of the strands is not 
strong (I know not of which one this could 
be said, for to my certain knowledge each one 
of them has proved to be sufficiently strong to 
anchor the faith of a large number of men), 
let us be reminded that there still remain four 
more strands any one of them in the light of 
my experience and observation being ample to 
hold us all steadfastly and unshakably in the 
conviction of the reality of this central fact of 
the Christian faith—the deity of Jesus Christ. 

The logic of the whole matter is that any one 
who does not believe in the deity of Jesus 
Christ should leave no stone unturned to study 
thoroughly and honestly the evidence. Let it 
not be said of any of us that we were too busy 
to investigate the subject. Let it not be said 
of any of us that we were too lazy to do so. 
It will take energy; it will take time. Let it 
not be said of any of us that we were too preju¬ 
diced to make the investigation. That should 

[ 169 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

never be said of any open-minded, fair-minded 
young man. Let it not be said that any one 
here was afraid to study Christ. Let us like 
true men be courageous and not shrink from 
the truth, especially this great Source of 
Truth, Jesus Christ. The other day a man 
complained to me that he could not believe in 
the deity of Christ. I said to him that no man 
can compel himself to believe anything with 
reference to Christ. I asked him, however, 
whether he could not compel himself to ma¬ 
triculate, as it were, in the school of Christ 
and learn of Him as he would from any other 
great teacher; whether he could not compel 
himself to follow Christ as fast as his reason 
and enlightened conscience convinced him that 
Christ revealed the truth; whether he could not 
bring to bear his mind at its best in sincere de¬ 
sire to find and obey the truth; whether he 
could not employ the best scientific and histori¬ 
cal methods to help him in his study; whether 
he could not bring to this vital quest an open 
mind, an honest heart, and a responsive will. 
He conceded that all this was within his power 
and would be possible. I then said to him to 
do these things and he need have no trouble as 
to his belief, because as I pointed out, Christ 

[ 170 ] 


JESUS CHRIST AS LORD 


will make His own impression. And the in¬ 
evitable result will be a belief with real, living, 
and ever-growing content. Above all, if this 
subject is to mean what it should mean to us, 
let us yield ourselves to the sovereign influence 
of the Spirit of God, for no man can say that u 
Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Ghost. I say 
this in no cant or pietistic sense. On the 
authority of Christ Himself and in the light of 
experience, the Spirit must flood the pages of 
the Scripture record. He must illumine our 
minds that we may see things as they are, 
kindle our hearts that we may be responsive to 
the truth, and energize our wills that we may 
obey the truth. 


[ 171 ] 

















OUR GREATEST NEED— 
A FRESH ACCESSION 
OF VITAL ENERGY 




VII 


Our Greatest Need —A Fresh Accession 

of Vital Energy 

AN EASTER MESSAGE 

Easter commemorates the Resurrection of 
Jesus Christ. This central event of our faith 
made possible liberating in the lives of men 
marvelous, even infinite energies. Doubt¬ 
less St. Paul realized this when he prayed that 
he “might know the power of His Resurrec¬ 
tion.’’ No more dynamic petition can be 
offered by us, and no more germinating or 
creative hope can be entertained by us, than 
that we and those whom we represent and in¬ 
fluence may come to know personally the won¬ 
drous power of Christ’s Resurrection. Is this 
not our greatest need as individuals and as a 
Movement? The entering upon a new Easter¬ 
tide opens to the members of the Association 
Brotherhood a gateway of limitless possi¬ 
bilities. 


[ 175 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

Christ’s Resurrection has power to vitalize 
faith. From the days of the early Christians 
the Resurrection has been the cornerstone 
apologetic. In every generation, discerning 
Christians have recognized the evidential value 
of this cardinal point of the Christian faith. 
They have been willing, with the great apostle, 
to stake the whole argument for the validity of 
the Christian religion on this momentous event, 
and have frankly conceded that if He be not 
risen, the Christians are of all men most miser¬ 
able. In my travels among the nations I have 
again and again been impressed by the way 
in which this basic fact is accepted as a sure 
foundation for Christian faith. No modem 
apologetic for the Resurrection can or ever 
will take the place of such arguments as 
that from the testimony of witnesses; or 
that from the stupendous changes in charac¬ 
ter and action in the early disciples of Christ 
between the time immediately after the Cruci¬ 
fixion and the period following the alleged 
Resurrection; or that from the universally ac¬ 
cepted place and influence of this great event 
within two or three decades in the life and be¬ 
lief of the Churches all over the Roman Em¬ 
pire; or that from the world-wide spread, and 

[ 176 ] 


AN EASTER MESSAGE 


the profound and beneficent influence of the 
Christian Church through all the centuries. 
In a day of world-upheaval and re-examina- 
tion of all foundations, let our convictions be 
clarified and fortified by the secure power of 
such solid, unshakable foundations for our 
faith. 

Christ’s Resurrection has power to energize 
life. The recent years through which we have 
been passing have been devitalizing in their 
effects. Men everywhere have paid out vital 
energy with prodigal hand. Most men are 
keenly conscious of depletion and exhaustion. 
Every unselfish society and movement, like¬ 
wise, stands in imperative need of fresh acces¬ 
sions of living power. On the authority of 
Christ Himself, men were to come under the 
spell of an influence infinitely greater than 
their own when, through His Spirit, His 
Resurrection power came upon them. Where 
is the Christian worker, where is the Chris¬ 
tian lajunan, where is the ambitious student 
who does not crave added spiritual power? If 
men are to win out over incitements from 
within or without to descend from the higher 
to the lower levels of their nature, it is abso¬ 
lutely imperative that they have the power of 

[ 177 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


that Christ who conquered death and opened 
the Kingdom of Heaven unto all believers. 
If men are to wage successful warfare against 
the forces of sin and shame, against all influ¬ 
ences tending to disintegrate faith and blast 
character, they must yield themselves to the 
sway of a Living Christ. If men are to con¬ 
quer the baffling social, inter-racial, and in¬ 
ternational problems and bring all human rela¬ 
tionships under the rule of Christ, they must 
indeed come to know the power of His Resur¬ 
rection to regenerate, to transform, and to 
control. 

Christ’s Resurrection has power to har¬ 
monize the divided forces of mankind. In the- 
darkest hour of the war I had a conversation 
with a member of a leading royal family—a 
woman of rare elevation of soul, of deep spir¬ 
itual penetration, and of genuine Christlike- 
ness. In answer to the question as to how she 
thought the war could be ended, she said, “God 
must do a wonder work—must manifest His 
power.” In some respects mankind is at a 
point of greater extremity today than it was 
then. All over the world we now see startling 
exhibitions of the divisive influences among 
men—in the social realm, in inter-racial con- 

[ 178 ] 


AN EASTER MESSAGE 


tacts, in international relations, and among 
religious forces. Nothing short of the power 
of One who in order to heal the earth’s hates, 
divisions, and strifes, died on the Cross, hut 
who is now alive for evermore, can harmonize 
the discords of the world. 

Admiral Baron Kato, after describing to 
me the exacting and most difficult work of the 
Washington Conference, added, “We must 
now look to the leaders of religion.” You will 
recall that Mr. Balfour emphasized the same 
thought on his return to England. Thus they 
as much as said, statecraft and diplomacy have 
done their best, but they will fail unless supple¬ 
mented by the light, energy and life of true 
religion. How true this is! When Christ 
came forth from the tomb He released a new 
power, one adequate to draw together all 
classes, nations, and races. 

Christ’s Resurrection has power to help 
realize the central objective of the Association 
Brotherhood. The goal which the leaders of 
the North American Associations have set be¬ 
fore us at this time is to augment the spiritual 
vitality and fruitfulness of the Young Men’s 
Christian Association, as the servant of the 
Churches, through confronting young men and 

[ 179 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


boys with the Living Christ. In fixing the 
gaze primarily on the Living Christ we do not 
overlook the Cross on a lonely hill where for 
us and for our sins He suffered. It is this dark 
and mysterious background which lends deeper 
meaning to the open grave. Never will the 
constraining memories of that Cross and of the 
love wherewith He hath loved every one of us, 
fail to move us with emotions of contrition and 
gratitude. But the Living Christ is the Foun- 
tain Head of our spiritual hope and vitality 
as an organization. Dr. Dale, the great 
preacher of Birmingham, bore testimony that 
it was the breaking in upon him of the simple 
and irresistible logic of the reflection, “ Christ 
lives,” that transformed his message and his 
preaching. So may the significance of this 
central fact of our faith, lay powerful hold 
upon each one of us. If Christ lives, then we 
are not alone. In proportion to the convic¬ 
tion, faithfulness, and passion with which we 
by life, by word, and by united propaganda, 
confront the oncoming generation with Christ 
alive for evermore, will be the extent, depth, 
and transforming power of the influence of 
the Young Men’s Christian Association. 

On my continent-wide tour among the As- 

[ 180 ] 


AN EASTER MESSAGE 


sociations of North America, which is taking 
me to more than thirty States and Provinces, 
at every stage of the journey, I am receiving 
striking confirmation of the life-giving and 
contagious power of this eternal vision. 
Everywhere the doors are wide open. Let me 
reiterate also that in every section, all classes 
of young men and boys are accessible to this 
life-giving Gospel; and, what is more signifi¬ 
cant, they are on every hand responsive to the 
call of Christ—Christ the Life, as well as the 
[Way and the Truth. It has reminded me 
again and again of my most vital experiences 
in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and above 
all, of those during the recent tragic years in 
Europe. The filling of millions of graves of 
soldiers and sailors, and the long-drawn-out 
sufferings of whole peoples, like the Crucifix¬ 
ion of our Lord Himself, have prepared the 
way for spiritual harvests the like of which the 
world has never known. Let us with unshak¬ 
able and triumphant faith enter into the herit- 
age prepared by the sufferings, the tears, and 
the intercessions across the breadth of the 
world, by ourselves laying hold of a fresh ac¬ 
cession of vital energy—the power of His 
Resurrection. 


[ 181 ] 




HOW AUGMENT THE 
LEADERSHIP OF 
THE CHRISTIAN FORCES 


























VIII 


How Augment the Leadership of the 

Christian Forces 

I wish to share one of the heaviest burdens 
which, in common with some of you, I have, 
and that is a burden of solicitude with refer¬ 
ence to the coming leadership of the Chris¬ 
tian forces. Expressed more concretely. How 
can we secure for the Christian ministry, for 
the missionary work of the Churches at home 
and abroad, for the secretaryship of the Young 
Men’s Christian Association and other aux¬ 
iliary agencies of the Churches, a larger num¬ 
ber of the very strongest young men and boys 
of the oncoming generation? You will agree 
with me that this is a problem of pressing con¬ 
cern. It involves the very life and spread of 
the Christian religion and the establishment 
of the Kingdom of God. 

Let us first consider briefly why there is 
need of enlisting many of the choicest spirits 
among the youth of our day for the supremely 

[ 185 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

important work of Christian leadership. Many 
are needed in order to fill the gaps which now 
exist in so many places in the ranks of Chris¬ 
tian leadership. It is alarming to observe as 
one travels across the continent and as one 
visits the mission fields, how many key posi¬ 
tions in the work of Christ are today vacant 
because of the paucity in the number of avail¬ 
able workers possessing the requisite qualifica¬ 
tions. Large numbers of able men are needed 
to provide a worthy succession for many thou¬ 
sands now in posts of leadership who, as a re¬ 
sult of bearing the strain for two, three, or 
more decades, and especially as a result of 
paying out vitality so prodigally during the 
recent exhausting years, must soon hand over 
their responsibilities to others. The most opti¬ 
mistic students of the sources of supply whom 
I know, do not see a sufficient number of 
properly qualified men in line of succession. 
How true it is also that large numbers of ad¬ 
ditional workers of large capacity are required 
to supersede many who today are holding posi¬ 
tions of responsibility simply because there 
are not available men properly equipped to fill 
these positions. Is this not one of the reasons 
why the cause of Christ is marking time in so 

[ 186 ] 


AUGMENTING CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP 

many places, and, likewise, why the problems 
in front of organized Christianity are not more 
rapidly solved? 

The standards for the leadership of the 
Churches and of kindred religious societies 
have wisely been raised in recent years and 
must be still further raised. This is due to 
the growing complexity and difficulty of the 
work of the Church. Never did it seem quite 
so difficult to me as it does at the present time. 
To meet these more exacting requirements, 
necessitates the raising up and training of in¬ 
creasing numbers of the ablest youth. 

To assimilate into the Church of Christ the 
streams of alien peoples coming into North 
America calls for additional workers especially 
qualified for the task. Men of large mind, 
heart, and faith are needed; men, likewise, 
with special preparation to understand the 
antecedents and background of foreign peo¬ 
ples, to appreciate sympathetically their na¬ 
tional, racial, and religious prejudices, to adapt 
the message and tnethods to the point of view 
of the mentality of these peoples, and, above 
all, to discover and utilize the strong qualities 
possessed by every nation and race. As we 
think of our many and growing cities with 

[ 187 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


their present-day requirements, we must be 
convinced that there is need of increasing the 
number of well-qualified leaders. The cities 
are not only centers of population, wealth, 
education, and influence, but also, and more 
than ever, centers of unrest, lawlessness, and 
strife. 

As Chairman of the Committee on Social 
and Religious Surveys, which Committee is 
furthering the scientific study of various fields 
and problems of the Christian Churches and 
of Christian social betterment enterprises, I 
have been greatly impressed with the need of 
a new leadership for these city communities. 
A study of the investigations and surveys 
already made in certain typical, medium-sized 
and large cities, has afforded convincing evi¬ 
dence of the need of re-thinking and re-stating 
the Christian strategy of the Churches in such 
places. Let us pray God, therefore, for 
workers for this task and use all wise and fruit¬ 
ful human means to discover and train them. 
The same should be said with reference to the 
work of the Church in the countryside or rural 
communities. Our Committee have made a 
classification of the three thousand counties of 
the United States and have made studies of 

[ 188 ] 


AUGMENTING CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP 


groups of counties of some sixteen types. 
These investigations have made clear that we 
require just as able men to lead in the plan¬ 
ning and directing of its work in these com¬ 
munities as in the cities. 

In order to deal successfully with what 
many regard as the most important and emer¬ 
gent problems before the Church, there is im¬ 
perative need of augmenting the leadership 
of the Christian forces. Among these most 
critical and urgent problems may be indicated: 
to restate the Christian message, while pre¬ 
serving its unchanging, essential content, in 
terms which will command the intellectual con¬ 
fidence and following of the most alert and 
inquiring generation the world has ever 
known; to bring to bear the wondrous Chris¬ 
tian Gospel on the obstinate and serious social 
facts of modem times, especially in the field of 
industry; to Christianize the relations between 
the races where we find today multiplying and 
highly inflamed friction points; and to bring 
international relations under the sway of the 
principles and spirit of Christ. Here are ques¬ 
tions that in themselves call for new and great 
leadership. 

How great the need of calling forth more 

[ 189 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


largely the comparatively latent lay forces of 
Christianity. If this is to be accomplished, we 
must have in positions of leadership a much 
larger number of men of outstanding ability. 
In reading the story of his life by Dr. Hains- 
ford, of New York, one is impressed with his 
success in enlisting the cooperation of leading 
laymen of that great metropolis. It requires 
strong men in the pulpit to fill the pews with 
strong men, and, above all, to send them forth 
from the pews to apply within the sphere of 
their daily life and opportunities what they 
have heard from the messengers of God in the 
pulpits. Here we recognize the need of mul¬ 
tiplying the number of well educated men who 
likewise possess the requisite fundamental 
strong points for the secretaryship of the 
Young Men’s Christian Association. If this, 
the greatest lay movement in the life of the 
Church, is to go from strength to strength 
in its service for the Churches, great is the need 
of scaling up the general average of qualifica¬ 
tions for such leadership. 

To guide the irresistible movement in the 
direction of closer cooperation, federation, and 
unity among the Protestant Christian forces, 
there is need of developing men of the largest 

[ 190 ] 


AUGMENTING CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP 


mold and furnishing for all kinds of positions 
of large responsibility in the Churches. This 
Movement cannot be resisted. It is, however, 
a Movement attended with real perils, as is 
the case wherever any energies are called forth 
or coordinated and combined. How to main¬ 
tain the priceless tradition and utilize the rich 
and providential experience of each of our 
Christian communions, large and small, ob¬ 
scure and conspicuous, while at the same time 
laying hold of the new values which result 
from drawing together the Christians who 
acknowledge the one Divine Lord, is indeed a 
work calling for the highest gifts of Christian 
statesmanship. When we pray, therefore, for 
the unification of Christians, let us not fail to 
pray for workers to guide wisely this process. 

To develop here in North America a more 
nearly adequate base for the world-wide war 
of Christian missions, presents one of the 
greatest and most clamant demands for aug¬ 
menting the forces of leadership. The mis¬ 
sionary movements of Protestant Christendom 
are facing today unprecedented opportunities 
in all quarters of the non-Christian world. The 
multiplied dangers accentuate, similarly, the 
urgency of the world situation. The exhaus- 

[ 191 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


tion of so many other lands through the im¬ 
possible drain on vital and material resources 
to which they have been subjected in recent 
years, accentuates the responsibility of the 
American Churches. Where have we the right 
to look with such confidence for the greatly 
needed numbers of missionaries and of mis¬ 
sionary administrators as right here at home? 

Some one has asked me to indicate what we 
have in view when we speak of the need of 
securing for Christian leadership more of the 
strongest young men and boys. Surely it 
means young men of vision. This is a gift of 
youth but unhappily all youth do not possess 
it. It means also young men of personality. 
This is a hard word to define, but we all under¬ 
stand what it means. Strong young men are 
those who possess the power of growth and 
who are determined to continue to grow all the 
days of their lives. We need, moreover, young 
men who will stay in training longer than their 
predecessors, as a rule, have done, because a 
broader and deeper foundation is needed to 
bear the larger superstructure which must be 
built in the coming days. We need among the 
new leaders men of great ethical and social 
passion and concern. Chiefly, however, do 

[ 192 ] 


AUGMENTING CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP 

we need men of deep and genuine personal ex¬ 
perience of Jesus Christ—an experience au¬ 
thentic, vital, and, therefore, truly first-hand. 

It is interesting to remind ourselves of the 
principal recruiting officers in the years that 
are gone. A few years ago I made a some¬ 
what extensive study of the factors and influ¬ 
ences entering into the decisions of several 
thousand men who had decided to become min¬ 
isters. This study was supplemented by re¬ 
viewing the biographies of several hundred 
leading ministers of various communions. 
Both studies indicated that the mothers had 
been, up to that time, the principal influence to 
which these men attributed their decision. 

A close second was found to be the various 
voluntary Christian societies of students. We 
speak of these popularly as the Christian Stu¬ 
dent Movement, which goes by different names 
in different countries. Here in America we 
call it the Student Young Men’s Christian 
Association. We also have the Student Vol¬ 
unteer Movement. It would be difficult to 
overstate the power and fruitfulness of these 
last named movements as recruiting agencies. 
More recent studies give one the impression 
that the Student Movement in general in the 

[ 193 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


different countries has now become the princi- 
pal factor in securing decisions to enter the 
so-called Christian callings, such as the min¬ 
istry, the missionary service, and the Associa¬ 
tion Secretaryship. Speaking of the Student 
Young Men’s Christian Association reminds 
us of the general Young Men’s Christian As¬ 
sociation Movement both in the cities and in 
the rural communities. Through its Hi Y 
Clubs, which have been recently organized, 
some of the most effective work is now being 
done to direct the abler and more promising 
boys to enter such callings. 

In countries like England and South Africa, 
school-masters seem to have been one of the 
most potent factors in directing the lives of 
boys into the service of the Church. Unfor¬ 
tunately we cannot say as much in this country, 
although there are fortunate exceptions. 
Would that the day might come when, in con¬ 
nection with every high school of the land, as 
well as in the private and denominational 
schools, we could say that there are one or more 
influential and wise teachers who, outside their 
official duties, use their influence in giving un¬ 
selfish vocational guidance to the boys of finest 
parts. While the professors in theological 

[ 194 ] 


AUGMENTING CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP 

seminaries still continue to use their oppor¬ 
tunities for recruiting young men for the 
ministry at home and abroad, all too few pro¬ 
fessors in the colleges and universities are util¬ 
izing their opportunity in this respect. This 
is indeed serious. There is danger lest in the 
American and Canadian universities the pro¬ 
fessors, like those in the German universities, 
become more concerned with developing sub¬ 
jects than with developing men. Truly both 
processes are important and need not exclude 
each other; but just now there is unmistakably 
real need of emphasizing the recruiting func¬ 
tion of the Christian professor, no matter what 
chair he holds. 

The Christian ministers themselves the 
world over have ever been one of the principal 
influences in attracting young men into the 
ministry as a life work. Sometimes they have 
achieved large results through their sermons, 
appealing directly to the boys and young men 
in their congregations. Even more fruitful 
have been their personal interviews and per¬ 
sonal correspondence following up such public 
appeals. In these days there is need of preach¬ 
ing to parents because in so many cases the 
conversations with the sons reveal the fact that 

[ 195 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 


it is the attitude of the parents which stands 
in the way of their sons entering such a call¬ 
ing as the ministry. It is the life of the min¬ 
ister which after all gives contagious effect to 
his words. It was said of Phillips Brooks that 
if he walked across Harvard Yard it would 
lead young men into the ministry. This great 
personality—great in body, mind, and soul— 
with his pervading sense of the nobility, gran¬ 
deur, and sacredness of his calling, attracted 
like a powerful magnet strong individuals to 
the service of the Church. Thus it is with lead¬ 
ing ministers everywhere, such traits as reality, 
a forward looking attitude, heroism in the ap¬ 
plication of the principles of Christ to the 
problems of the day, open-mindedness and 
tolerance, genuine spirituality, constitute the 
media through which Christ extends His calls. 

Whether we are ministers, Association sec¬ 
retaries, student workers, school masters, or 
professors, what is the secret of securing for 
the leadership of the Christian forces larger 
numbers of the kind of young men and boys 
we have in view? In the first place, let us 
become alarmed with reference to the extensive 
and urgent need of securing in the near future 
such re-enforcements. Next to the withdrawal 

[ 196 ] 


AUGMENTING CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP 


of the presence of Christ, what greater calam¬ 
ity could visit the Christian Church than to 
be lacking a sufficient number of young men 
of outstanding capacity and equipment for the 
direction of its work? 

Let us look upon recruiting for the leader¬ 
ship of the Christian forces as the most im¬ 
portant single thing we have to do. If any one 
of us thinks he has something else to do which 
is even a little more important than this, then 
he is not likely to secure large results in the 
way of new and capable recruits. The reason 
is that one’s appeal will lack that intensity and 
communicative power which are necessary to 
secure the desired results. Was it not John 
Morley who emphasized the fact that he who 
does the work is not so profitably employed 
as he who multiplies the doers. If any man 
here thinks that he has any other work more 
profitable, more highly-multiplying, than that 
of drawing into Christian service, through the 
power of Christ, men of ability, some of whom 
will carry forward the work long after we have 
gone and some of whom may likewise accom¬ 
plish a far greater work than we ourselves, 
surely he has lost his perspective and sense of 
proportion. 


[ 197 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

This matter of securing recruits should be¬ 
come a second nature with us. We can all 
think of men to whom the discovery and utiliz¬ 
ing of financial leads has become a second 
nature. We can also think of men with whom 
the discerning of spiritual meanings in all 
phases of life is a second nature. Why should 
not this work of multiplying our number enter 
so deeply into our convictions, longings, and 
purposes, that it would likewise dominate us? 

We should expect to find that for which we 
are seeking. One day a young preacher com¬ 
plained to Spurgeon that he did not have more 
conversions. Spurgeon said to him, “You do 
not expect to have conversions after every ser¬ 
mon, do you?” 

The man replied, “I do not know that I do 
expect to have converts as a result of every 
sermon.” 

“That,” said Spurgeon, “is the reason why 
you do not have converts after every sermon.” 

If any of us do not expect within the sphere 
of our acquaintance constantly to discover men 
for unselfish service, certainly we shall not find 
them. 

We should make an heroic appeal if we ex¬ 
pect to attract the strongest natures to Chris- 

[ 198 ] 


AUGMENTING CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP 

tian work as a life work. It takes an heroic 
appeal to call forth the heroic response. Time 
after time I have found in my work among 
students and other young men, that if I pre¬ 
sent a choice between self-interest and self- 
sacrifice, the strongest and most heroic spirits 
respond to the sacrificial appeal. How true 
this was in the pathway of the ministry of 
Jesus Christ, who ever called upon men to 
count the cost and who never hid His scars to 
win a disciple or a worker. In waging the 
propaganda of the Volunteer Movement on 
behalf of the great citadels of the non-Chris¬ 
tian world, countless times we have had proof 
that if you make the Gospel difficult, you make 
it triumphant. 

We should lay siege to strong men. One of 
the evidences that a man possesses exceptional 
strength is the fact that his mind is, as a rule, 
made up with reference to the use of his life. 
Often this has been done without his having 
taken into account all the evidence as to the 
opportunities and challenges of his day. To 
persuade such natures requires nothing less 
than siege work. Sometimes I think we do 
not deserve to get a larger number of the 
strongest men, as I think of the relatively weak 

[ 199 ] 


CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

and poorly sustained efforts which we put 
forth to win them. I am ashamed to say that 
there have been times in my own busy life 
when, because I could not persuade a man in 
a fifteen-minute interview to devote his life to 
some altruistic calling, I have assumed that it 
was not the will of God that he should do so. 
What a superficial judgment and what a dan¬ 
gerous habit to have drifted into. If we are 
sure that we have the truth on our side, and 
after prayer have been impelled to present a 
great and an unselfish opportunity to a young 
man, we should not lightly turn from him, 
simply because at first our message does not 
seem to appeal to him. Some of the most nota¬ 
ble leaders in the work of Christ have been won 
only after renewed and patient efforts. 

Of supreme importance in the work of re¬ 
cruiting for the leadership of the Christian 
forces is genuine intercession. Christ was fa¬ 
miliar with the problem of the want of 
laborers. In language which cannot have two 
interpretations he has, for all time, let us into 
the inner secret, “The harvest truly is great, 
but the laborers are few. Pray ye, therefore, 
the Lord of the harvest that He thrust forth 
laborers into His harvest.” In view of this 

[ 200 ] 


AUGMENTING CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP 


unmistakably clear direction, why is it that 
so many of us have so frequently lost sight of 
it and have done almost everything else save 
this one most important thing? Let me quite 
frankly seek to answer this question in the light 
of my own shortcomings or sins of omission 
and in the light of confessions of others like 
ourselves who have unburdened their con¬ 
sciences to me. At times we have not prayed 
for laborers because we were unbelieving. To 
pray God to separate the men unto the work 
whereunto He has called them, shows clearly 
that we look upon the matter of securing 
laborers as a superhuman undertaking. Not 
to pray indicates, does it not, that we think of 
it as a merely human process? At other times 
we did not pray because we were egotistical. 
In substance we said: “If we can present our 
arguments to young men with lucidity and 
force, if we can expose them to certain person¬ 
alities and conferences, if we can induce them 
to read certain pamphlets and books—then we 
shall most certainly succeed in enlisting them.” 
In other words, we depended in the last analy¬ 
sis and in practice solely on human means and, 
therefore, had relatively meager results to 
show. 


[ 201 ] 



CONFRONTING MEN WITH CHRIST 

Again we did not pray as we should at times, 
because we were selfish. Intercessory prayer 
is the most intense act that a man performs, 
and some of us, to tell the truth, have at times 
been unwilling to pay the price involved in 
actually giving ourselves, not simply our 
words, to unselfish prayer. There have been 
other times when we did not pray because we 
were too busy. Too busy to do the most highly 
multiplying work in which man can ever 
engage! What short-sightedness and what 
shameful failure to estimate aright relative 
values! Moreover, have there not been times 
when we failed to pray for laborers because 
we were purposeless? You and I are in the 
habit of doing the things that we definitely 
make up our minds we will do. Let it be re¬ 
iterated, we do not drift into great achieve¬ 
ments. Must we not also humbly confess that 
at times we have not interceded for the leaders 
so greatly needed for Christ’s work, because 
our hearts had been allowed to become cold? 
[We had drifted from our Lord and His great 
passion of unselfishness had ceased to beat in 
our breasts. If any or all of these causes are 
today standing in the way of our performing 
this most productive and truly Christ-like min- 

[ 202 ] 


AUGMENTING CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP 


istry, let us highly resolve that, wherever else 
we fail in the coming days, we will not fail to 
follow in the footprints of our Lord, the great 
Intercessor. 


[ 203 ] 



















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